Homes, businesses targeted by thieves

HOMES and businesses throughout Withcott, Helidon and Murphys Creek are on edge as their suburbs have become the cruel target for burglars.

Helidon Police reported a spike in break-and-enter offences in the area during June with items such as motorbikes and cars stolen.

The Withcott, Helidon and Murphys Creek areas typically register one or two cases of break and enter a month, but Helidon station Officer in Charge Senior Constable Sam Ritchie said 11 instances had been recorded last month.

Constable Ritchie said, for a small community, a single offender could greatly skew the crime rate.

“It only takes one person to send statistics through the roof,” he said. “And it’s one person who has committed seven counts of break and entering in various businesses in the area.”

He warned residents to make sure their vehicles and dwellings were locked and said CCTV footage was “the best” in helping police catch criminals.

“The best thing for us is when people have CCTV cameras on their dwellings or around their houses,” he said.

“Even if they have been broken into, (with) images captured we can use various methods to identify or track the person down.”

He said many residents failed to understand times had changed.

“People need to be aware we don’t live in an age where a lot of us grew up where we could leave the house unlocked, especially the farms,” he said. “Unfortunately, that day and age is gone.”