THEFT from a motor vehicle is in vogue in Greater Shepparton, with the latest crime statistics revealing a massive 29 percent jump in that crime in the 12 months to June.
According to the Crime Statistics Agency, there were 616 incidents of theft from vehicles, up from 476 in the previous year.
Victoria Police at the Shepparton Police station have responded with Operation Secure, with targeted foot and mobile patrols of high-risk areas, according to crime prevention officer, Leading Senior Constable Glenn Gibson.
LSC Gibson said police had also added a mobile CCTV camera trailer to their existing fixed CCTV network (known as the ‘Safe City Camera Network’) to identify and deter offending.
The operation, which was planned to run for two-weeks, has been extended into a third week due to the level of success achieved.
Most importantly, police are urging vehicle owners to remove valuables and lock vehicles.
“After two weeks, the early indicators are that we’ve had a noticeable dip in this offending. Hence, the operation was extended into the third week,” LSC Gibson said.
