Police are warning Melton residents to install anti-theft measures on their trailers following a recent spate of thefts.
Thieves are stealing trailers, caravans and jet skis at people’s homes and businesses, with some even targeting items behind locked garage doors and sensors.
Leading Senior Constable Joanne Mutsaerts, of the proactive policing unit at Caroline Springs, encouraged people to invest in wheel clamps and tow-hitch locks to deter thieves who are targeting both rural and residential properties.
“The thefts don’t seem to be following a real trend,” Leading Senior Constable Mutsaerts said.
“It’s everything from private premises to businesses that might have a yard. But in rural areas, there’s a high possibility the residents get complacent and don’t secure their trailers.”
Leading Senior Constable Mutsaerts said police had not been able to identify any reason for a spike in trailer thefts or what they were being used for, but he believed many were sold or “rebirthed”.
“We’re obviously concerned so if anyone’s got anything of value, we’d ask them to secure it.
“We haven’t identified any one group that appears to be stealing [the trailers], but I don’t think the problem is isolated just to Melton.”
Police have scoured through closed-circuit television camera footage but have not been able to identify an offender or offenders. During one of the most recent incidents, thieves stole a trailer, with a jet ski attached to it.
Leading Senior Constable Mutsaerts said she was unable to give details of the incident and where it was stolen from.
“I don’t know what the value of the stolen items was … but they’re worth lots of money. Even a six-by-four trailer is sometimes someone’s livelihood; they might be using it for businesses,” she said. “And even if they were just using it on the weekend, it’s their property and needs to be returned.”
Senior Sergeant Edward Lappin, of Bacchus Marsh police, said only “bloody clowns” left their trailers in the front yard without locking them.
And while the Bacchus Marsh unit hadn’t noticed a surge in trailer thefts, Senior Sergeant Lappin said it was an all-year problem for them.
“People are brazen and opportunistic enough to reverse their car into someone’s front yard and tow away a trailer,” he said.
“It’s hard to tell who’s committing the crime … but I can quite confidently say anyone prepared to commit that crime generally has a criminal history.”
