Eleven people have been arrested in relation to a spate of car thefts from outside gyms in the Wyndham Vale, Point Cook and Tarneit areas since January.
A police spokesman said investigations are ongoing and declined to comment further.
A police video was uploaded to the Wyndham Eyewatch page last week in a bid to raise public awareness about thefts from gyms across the state.
In the video, Inspector Jason Forster from the Victoria Police Westgate Division – which covers Wyndham, Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong municipalities – said the crimes are “being committed by specifically young people”.
“They’re coming into the gyms, following patrons or members in the gym, saying: ‘Look, I’ve forgotten my card, can you let me in?’” Inspector Forster said.
“Once they’re inside the gym, they’re rifling through people’s belongings and taking things such as wallets, credit cards, clothing, car keys in particular and then going outside trying to locate their vehicle and taking the vehicle.
“And that’s leading onto further crime, in some instances, being used in other crimes in and around the streets such as robberies.”
Police have advised community members to exercise caution and secure their valuables when attending gyms and leisure centres. They’re being advised not to leave bags unattended or to use locker storage while exercising.
Police have also advised gym patrons not to allow anyone else to use their gym access pass.
In February last year, police in the west warned gym goers that groups of young thieves were stealing car keys from unattended bags to then steal vehicles from gym carparks.
Within the last week of February 2020, five cars were stolen from outside gyms in Werribee, Tarneit and Point Cook.
To report a theft of property, call the Police Assistance line on 131 444 or visit police.vic.gov.au.
