Thieves stealing from parked cars near beach-fronts and estuaries are being targeted by Mandurah police in a new operation.
Mandurah Police Senior Sergeant Darren Hart said local police were targeting the car park item stealing, as part of a metro-wide operation.
“WA Police are running the campaign, but in Mandurah we have extended the operation to include car parks around waterways and estuaries, as well as the beach,” he said.
“People tend to use the estuary as much as the beach this time of year.”
Senior Sergeant Hart said he received three reports of stealing on Sunday evening at a John Street car park, in Coodanup.
A Mandurah community Facebook page issued a warning on Monday, reporting five cars had been broken into while the owners were crabbing.
Senior Sergeant Hart said it was difficult to police car theft with officers relying on timely reports from the community to catch offenders.
“The difficulty being, it doesn't take someone long to break into three or four car parks and we may be in a different car park at that time,” he said.
“We rely on the public to protect themselves and their property as much as possible.
“We are aware it is very frustrating for the owner of the property and a significant problem.
“Contact police if you see someone behaving suspiciously in a car park.
“We rely on observations and information.”
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
