4 minute read
Ramping up safety
Editorial: Danielle Ford
On any given night, millions of people across Victoria are in their homes, having dinner, watching TV, folding the washing or sleeping soundly in their beds.
But in recent years, these routine evenings have been terrifyingly interrupted for thousands of Victorians as criminals, some as young as 12, break into their homes in search of keys to steal cars.
According to Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency, 5887 residential aggravated burglaries — defined as a burglary that happens while people are present in the house being burgled — had been committed in the 12 months to the end of December 2023, an almost 30 per cent increase year-on-year.
Acting Superintendent Luke Kirton has seen the impacts of these crimes firsthand, having spent seven months working on Operation Trinity, a dedicated police response to this growing crime trend, and in his role as crime inspector for Eastern Region.
“While our intelligence shows that more than 95 per cent of aggravated burglaries don’t result in any confrontation, there aren’t many scarier thoughts for people than having an intruder in their home,” A/Supt Kirton said.
A/Supt Kirton said Victoria Police had launched Operation Trinity across specific parts of Greater Melbourne — where most of the offending was occurring — in early 2023 to target recidivist offenders.
“The data tells us that the majority of offences are being committed by the same people, which is pretty confronting,” he said.
“During an operation we ran from March 2023 to June 2024, police made more than 1400 arrests relating to 1537 burglaries where cars were stolen.
“From this, 20 offenders were responsible for almost 20 per cent of these offences and the average age of this group of top offenders was just 15.”
A/Supt Kirton said police were recovering about 95 per cent of these cars.
“We are finding that the cars are being dumped, or intercepted, by police within hours of being stolen and that these young offenders seem to be stealing them for the thrill and for likes on social media,” he said.
“When our members interview these offenders, they tell us they will just walk up and down a street trying to access multiple houses until they find one with a door or window unlocked.”
A/Supt Kirton said while police will continue to patrol known hotspots and apprehend offenders, community members can also play their part to help keep themselves and their homes safe.
“While these offences are random and never the fault of the residents, there are simple things everyone can do to decrease the risks of their homes being broken into and their cars being stolen,” he said.
“If your garage connects to your house through an internal door, it’s important to lock that connecting door — even if your garage is properly shut — as offenders have been using garage doors as an entry point to houses. Make sure you’re always locking any external doors and checking that all windows are secure.
Everyone has the right to feel safe and comfortable in their own home but unfortunately there are people out there who don’t respect this right, so we need to do everything we can to protect ourselves.
A/Supt Kirton also stressed the importance of remaining safe and contacting police should anyone find themselves the victim of an aggravated burglary or car theft.
“If you're in a situation where someone is in your house, our advice is to get everyone in the house to safety and to call Triple Zero (000) as quickly as possible,” he said.
“Property can be replaced but people can’t, so we don’t advise anyone to confront the offenders.
“If you don’t see the offence taking place but find your vehicle has been stolen after the fact, you should report this to police through the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.”
TIPS TO INCREASE YOUR SAFETY
1. Make sure all external doors are locked.
2. Check that all windows are properly secured.
3. Lock internal doors connecting the garage to your house.
4. Remove garage remote controls from vehicles when parked, even when parked in locked garages.
5. Avoid confrontation with anyone breaking into the house.
6. If an offence is taking place, call Triple Zero (000) as soon as safely possible.
7. If an offence has occurred but is not currently taking place, report it through the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.