Lock up or lose it – that’s the warning from Melton police in the lead-up to Christmas.
Senior Constable Donna Coutts said police invariably noticed a spike in burglaries and thefts in holiday periods.
“Most burglaries occur on residential properties, but there’s an alarming amount of burglaries occurring in premises under construction and commercial businesses,” she said. “The overwhelming message is to make sure your motor vehicles and properties are locked at all times and secure your valuables in a safe or hidden place.”
She said that while many tradies were doing the right thing and removing their tools when leaving construction sites, they were then leaving them unlocked in their utes when they arrived home.
“They need to keep their tools locked up and put in garages,” she said.
Senior Constable Coutts said many stolen tools were probably sold on the black market.
“We go to second-hand dealers to see if stolen tools have been traded in, but we don’t find them there,” she said.
“The people who steal the tools will offer them to other tradies for cheap.”
Senior Constable Coutts said crime victims should always call police.
“No crime is too small to report”.
