POLICE have taken the extraordinary step of letterbox dropping as an additional reminder to secure homes and cars as a crime spree tightens its grip on one of the city’s most reputable suburbs.
Officers this week did leg work across Turvey Park to help tackle the scourge that saw 20 break and enters occur in just three days over the long weekend.
Wooden Street resident Ken George applauded police for the extra effort but believed tougher juvenile justice laws would be the only effective means of stopping the crime spike.
Mr George had no issues in his 35 years of living in the middle-class suburb street until recently.
A car was stolen from the carport about 12 months ago and his son’s prized Ford Falcon ute parked on the street was stolen and later found burnt out at the Music Bowl in July.
Nearby homes continue to be broken into and ransacked, while Mr George has woken to intruders on the roof and plumbing pipes kicked out of place.
“In a sense, yes it (crime) is getting worse,” Mr George said.
“The people doing it, they’re getting younger and they’re not being held accountable for what they’ve done.”
The retired man and his wife are now looking to install a security door as an added precaution to their sensor lights.
“When security lights come on now, we bounce up and go outside and see what’s triggered them,” Mr George said.
“They work, but they don’t stop the thieves.”
In the wake of the long weekend spike, Superintendent Bob Noble implored people to properly secure their properties as complacency can feed the growing incidence of break, enter and steals cross the city.
“A trend of late has been home owners leaving a door unlocked complacently and thieves strolling in and taking what they want,” he said earlier this week.
Car theft continues to be an issue, with three vehicles stolen overnight on Tuesday and another two on Wednesday. While calls have been made for increased police officers, tougher penalties and “bait cars” as potential solutions to the break and enter crime wave, police are making headway in their fight to combat it.
Two teenagers were arrested and are assisting police with inquiries after a Bourkelands home was broken into and two cars stolen, prompting a pursuit early Thursday morning.
Police have assured all is being done to counter the scourge by targeting problematic hot spots like Turvey Park and covering extra shifts.
- Wagga police 6922 2599
- Crime stoppers 1800 333 000
