Police say opportunistic thefts in Albury have significantly increased over the past month as they urge people to make sure their cars are locked with no valuables left inside.
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Detective Acting Inspector Chris Wallace, the Murray River Police District acting crime manager, said recent weeks had seen incidents of people stealing equipment from tradespeople's vehicles parked overnight.
"They're also stealing cars, smashing windows to steal valuables, it is of concern at the moment," he said.
"Probably the last four weeks, as far as our figures go, our target figures have probably doubled.
"Where crime goes down in other categories because people aren't going to pubs and things like that ... in Albury it's increased in relation to our property theft."
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The officer advised tradespeople not to park on the street but instead lock their vehicle in a garage if possible or at least lock up their tools inside their house or at their workplace.
"I know it's a bit of a hard ask, but if they're on the back of your ute, they're probably going to get pinched and we don't want that to happen, we need to stop that," he said.
Keys left in late model cars with keyless entry also made theft easier.
"They're crimes that are preventable, by purely, simply, not leaving the key in the car," Detective Acting Inspector Wallace said.
"A lot of that property theft can be prevented if people take control of their property, lock it away.
"Lock your stuff away, remove your tools, don't leave your keys in your car."
Police said it's an offence under the Australian road rules to leave your car unlocked and advised caution in shopping centres where thieves might be watching car owners.
The acting crime manager believed the Albury offenders weren't limited to a small group.
"We do know and suspect a lot of these people and we will actively target them and we'll use every means possible to get them arrested, charged and before the court," he said.
He noted anyone caught stealing would also receive a $1000 fine for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
Albury police continue to investigate a ram raid at Thurgoona on Tuesday, where two people, believed to be male, used an excavator in a failed bid to steal from a service station.
Detective Acting Inspector Wallace said.police had obtained CCTV footage from the store and asked anyone with information to contact Albury police on (02) 6023 9299 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
