By Shaun Inguanzo
THEFTS of navigational systems from cars in Greater Dandenong and surrounding suburbs have skyrocketed by over 300 per cent in the past 12 months.
The number of GPS navigational units stolen have risen from 1632 in 2006/07 to a whopping 6787.
Police Region Five Assistant Commissioner told Star the theft was preventable by not leaving units or their brackets in parked cars – but people just did not get the message.
“If you have any valuables in vehicles, and people see it, they may take it,” Mr Evans warned.
A majority of thefts from motor cars in region five, which includes Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia, have to do with GPS units.
Mr Evans said number plates were also a hot item, but across the state, theft from motor cars was the largest contributor to the crime rate.
“Theft from motor cars totalled 7398… that’s 10 per cent of crime in the whole region,” Mr Evans said.
Police have run the Look, Lock and Leave campaign to educate drivers on keeping valuables out of sight in cars, as well as locking their car doors.
Region Five Division Two Superintendent Neville Taylor said GPS units were not only easy to take, but easy to sell. Both Mr Evans and Mr Taylor said the inconvenience caused by a theft from motor car extended beyond the stolen item.
A broken car window can cost between $300 and $400 to replace, and in most cases insurance excesses mean the amount is too small to be covered.
Greater Dandenong Crime Investigation Unit Detective Senior Sergeant Terry Kane said theft from motor cars – particularly of GPS units – was rife across the state, not only in Greater Dandenong.
The region’s overall crime rate has dropped by over five per cent in the past 12 months, with a significant decrease in robberies. Mr Evans attributed the decrease in robberies to a number of targeted police operations, such as Sarazan, which focused on trouble spots in Dandenong and Noble Park.
