FED-UP police have vowed to “wage war” against Wagga’s criminals after January’s break and enter tally surpassed 100 on Monday.
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More than four homes, on average, have been invaded every day in 2017 as tensions continue to boil throughout the community.
Detectives notched up a reprieve on Tuesday afternoon, arresting an alleged serial home invader in Kooringal.
Officers attended a Chifley Crescent property where they charged a 31-year-old man with 12 separate counts of break and enter.
He is also believed to have allegedly orchestrated several arson attacks.
The alarming rise in property crime has prompted a blitzkrieg – with a deluge of officers being drafted to the region from NSW’s South Coast.
However, despite the influx of resources and a social media operation, a further three homes were ransacked in the early hours of Monday morning.
The Wagga Local Area Command has now laid the groundwork for a city-wide CCTV database to tackle the issue.
Detective Inspector Darren Cloake revealed details of the CCTV network – which he believes will drive down criminal activity.
“Residents and businesses would supply police with a feed of their CCTV, which we would use for crime prevention and investigation,” he said.
“If somebody commits an offence in a certain area, we can immediately click on the location and look at all CCTV recordings within the area.
“Residents would need to agree to have their recordings held – but we would keep them strictly confidential.”
He also told The Daily Advertiser that the majority of home invasions occur while occupants are asleep.
“Entry in most cases is gained through the rear of the house while the occupants are asleep,” he said.
“It really is disturbing to think about.”
Detectives landed a sizeable blow on the city’s property crime wave at the weekend, arresting four alleged offenders.
Turvey Park’s Tiffany Ward, who in 2015 had her house ransacked by crooks while she slept, said she hadn’t encountered a burglar since she upgraded her home security.
She encouraged others to consider CCTV.
“It doesn’t only give you peace of mind, but I think it scares them off too,” she said.
“It set me back a couple of grand but I think it was worth it to finally feel secured.
“It’s just sad that people have to resort to these measures in order to protect their belongings.”