Newcastle police make property crime arrests, urge locals to lock up

Newcastle police crime manager Detective Inspector Steve Benson told the Newcastle Herald offenders had been operating quietly under the cover of dark, striking mostly what appeared to be unlocked homes or cars.

He said officers had noticed a small spike when it came to offences like stealing from vehicles in the past few weeks.

"The vast majority of property crime we see ... generally is opportunistic in nature," he said.

"Very few target a specific person, premises or vehicle, they'll hit an area or target and area and do multiple attempts.

"They don't want to be seen, they don't want to be disturbed, they certainly don't want to be heard."

Detective Benson said police were focused on taking a proactive approach, deploying plain-clothed officers and identifying suspects, and changing up their strategies.

"We have been for the last sort of four weeks, which has culminated in some significant arrests," he said.

"We're quite hopeful that will reduce these incidents going forward."

Police have made at least six arrests and laid more than 27 property crime-related charges in recent weeks.

"That goes hand in hand with trying to target-harden our community as well," Detective Benson said.

A 47-year-old Thornton man remains before the court after an investigation into a spate of thefts from cars in Merewether earlier this month.

Detective Benson said investigations generally had revealed a large proportion of property offending stemmed from homes and cars being left unsecured.

"One of the best things you can do to minimise victimisation is simply lock your car, lock your house," Detective Benson said.

"Let's not make it any easier for people."

Detective Benson urged people to take keys, coins and belongings out of vehicles before locking up, and secure windows and doors before going to sleep.

"I don't like using the term low-level or minor crime," he said.

"A crime is a crime and there is a victim.

"What you might think is a small monetary loss for you or I, to some might be significant ... or have sentimental value."

He said the more widespread use of CCTV had proven a useful investigation tool for detectives.

While a lot of property crime offenders don't want to be detected, the situations can escalate.

Merewether surfer Daniel Lowe was seriously hurt last month when he was stabbed six times after a group of teenagers allegedly broke into a Coane Street home.

Detective Benson said police were working closely with other districts across the Hunter.

Central Coast detectives had earlier gone public with their pleas for locals to lock up and be vigilant when it comes to opportunistic crime.

Detective Benson said people should get to know their neighbourhood and report any suspicious activity to police.

"The community are our eyes and ears and we find often there is a lot of good information out there that can assist with what we're doing," he said.

"No information is bad information for us, and it may well align with other information we've been given."

Newcastle City Police District and the Northern Region launched a proactive education campaign - codenamed Operation Badger - earlier this year aimed at increasing personal security.

The strike force attached charged 27 offenders with 218 offences.

Detective Benson said property crime was not a new phenomenon, but police were committed to curbing it.

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