An average of three Wyndham homes are hit by thieves every day, new figures reveal.
Residential burglary figures from the Crime Statistics Agency show 1235 offences across Wyndham between April 1 last year and the end of March this year.
In total, 6919 home burglaries in Wyndham were reported to Victoria Police in the five years to March 31, 2015 – second only in severity to Brimbank in the north-west metropolitan region and higher than Hume.
Wyndham also outranked the entire City of Greater Dandenong and Frankston in the southern metropolitan police region over the same period, and the cities of Knox and Maroondah in the eastern region.
As well, a survey by insurer RACV found that one in 25 Williams Landing properties had been broken into during the 2013-14 financial year, making it Melbourne’s equal-top burglary hotspot, alongside Ardeer.
The average number of homes burgled across Victoria was one in 73.
Crime Statistic Agency figures show that, statewide, thieves are most likely to commit break-ins when home owners are at work – between 9am and 5.59pm.
Jewellery, electrical appliances, tools, personal items and cash are the most commonly stolen household items.
On a positive note, residential burglaries in Wyndham are trending down from a high of 1639, or more than four break-ins every day, in the 12 months to March 31, 2012.
Westgate crime prevention officer Craig McDonald said increased community awareness could explain the decrease, in part.
But he stressed that more needed to be done by residents to secure their homes and properties.
Leading Senior Constable McDonald said in many cases thieves gained entrance to a property through sliding doors.
“Sliding doors are the biggest point of entry and exit,” he said. “And thieves can carry big things out.
“Most houses now have solid doors, with a deadlock installed on the front and rear doors … and to get through those doors takes some effort,” he said.
“If people also put a security door on, that’s two levels of barrier to get into your house.
“We know crooks don’t like to force windows. If they break windows, the chance of cutting themselves is high, and carrying stuff through is much harder. The next easiest option is a sliding door because it’s only got a little metal lock that goes over the strike, and that’s all that holds it.”
Leading Senior Constable McDonald also called on home owners to fit connecting doors between garages and house interiors with a deadlocked solid wooden door, and to install an alarm.
