Mum’s alert on car thieves
A SOUTH Geelong mother says she has spent hundreds of dollars upgrading security at her home after thieves have targeted her car four times in almost seven months.
Elana Ahpene, who moved to the area in October, said she had spent $300 on security cameras, but another intruder targeted her car about 6am on Friday.
“I was actually awake when it happened, feeding my baby,” Ms Ahpene said.
“My phone alerted me and by the time I opened the app, the person had left because they realised I now have a camera set up.
“Hopefully it’s enough, as I don’t have the money to go out and buy a whole set-up.
“As it is, the doorbell (camera) has set me back $300 just to have decent footage for the police.”
Ms Ahpene said she believed she was being targeted by one person, who initially was lucky.
“The first time was my own fault, as I forgot to lock my car,” she said.
“They took 10c and left what was in my glove box on my seats.
“They left everything babywise, even the camera that allows me to see my baby, so I’m lucky they had a heart in that sense, because I even left her baby bag in the car that night.”
Her battle with would-be thieves comes as community members across Geelong have taken to local Facebook pages to report an increase in vehicle crimes.
Since being targeted four times, Ms Ahpene now fears the thief may escalate and is warning nearby residents to be cautious.
“At the start, I did think it was just to score money, but because this is now the fourth time it’s happened, I’m now starting to think it could be to try to take my car,” she said.
“I think people around my area have the right to know someone is being dodgy.
“I was in Corio and never once had this issue and lived there over 20 years.
“I know everyone loves to bag Corio, but nothing like this every happened when I was there.”