Community
1 December, 2022
Operation Roller Door - protect your vehicle, your home and yourself
WHILST local police are going above and beyond to keep our communities safe, they need your support.
Smithfield police commenced Operation Roller Door in 2018, after officers noticed home roller doors were being left open, allowing easy access points for opportunistic offenders.
Sergeant Paul Musmarra from Smithfield Police said crews are kept busy, preventing further offences.
“Our crews came across five homes with open roller doors in our division overnight,” Sergeant Musmarra said.
“Upon further inspection, we noticed cars inside garages were left unlocked and more alarming, the internal door into the home was also unlocked.
“At one home, car keys were left on the kitchen bench and they were plain to see as we came into the house from the open garage.
“The occupants of each of the five homes all got a scare when we woke them,” he said.
“Sadly, many people think they are light sleepers and would wake if someone was breaking into their house, however, we actually had to do quite a lot of yelling to raise the residents from their slumber.
“After their initial shock, all were very grateful that we took the time to stop, inspect their homes and alert them to their insecure homes.”
Whilst police agree residents should be entitled to do what they want with their own property, the harsh reality is, everyone needs take responsibility for their own safety and home security.
House-breaking, also known as break and enter or burglary, is one of the most common crimes and can occur at any time of the day or night and police remain committed to investigating property crime and apprehending those responsible.
Local people urge the community to support them by reviewing their security practices and remaining vigilant with home and vehicle security.
By regularly assessing home security, introducing targeted security measures and changes to everyday behaviours you can help keep your vehicle and your home safe.
Good home security can be achieved by following these key principles:
• Make it easy for an offender to be seen
• Make it difficult for an offender to gain entry
• Make it difficult for an offender to exit with your property
• Make it difficult for an offender to gain benefit from your property.
Police encourage residents to get into a habit of conducting a perimeter check of their home before leaving the property unattended and again at night when the household is off to bed.
Statistics are growing at a dramatic pace.
• Vehicles stolen this month: 60
• Vehicles stolen this year: 1,202
• Vehicles stolen in 2021: 782
Tips to help prevent vehicle theft:
• Remove all valuables from your vehicle
• Ensure your vehicle is locked
• Do not leave spare keys in your car
• Ensure your keys are secured in a safe place out of plain view
• Ensure that your home is secure.
For further information on vehicle security follow this link: http://bit.ly/3XkKTmB
For more information on home security follow this link: http://bit.ly/3OqZdpC
If you have information for police, contact Policelink by providing information using the online suspicious activity form 24hrs per day at: www.police.qld.gov.au/reporting or call 131 444.
Report crime information anonymously via Crime Stoppers. Call 1800 333 000 or report online at: www.crimestoppersqld.com.au.
