Local Facebook pages blew up this week regarding a 2003 Holden Commodore that had been stolen in the early hours of Wednesday morning from Main St, Rutherglen.
Following the theft, three vehicles at a block of units in Ramsay St, Corowa were broken into with a number of valuable items stolen.
“People need to lock their cars and houses,” Sergeant Stephen Marshall of Corowa Police urged.
“Locals also need to understand that the majority of these crimes are being committed by non-locals.
“They’re coming out from Albury or Wodonga to take advantage of the trust and complacency of locals in our country towns.”
Determined to put a stop to opportunistic criminals targeting the region, Sgt Marshall and Rutherglen Police Sgt Michael Savage have united to send a strong message that these criminals are not welcome here.
“They are also coming from Echuca,” Sergeant Savage informed.
“They all talk on their social channels and target our area as teams.
“They’ll leave Echuca or Albury around 10pm and do the rounds through Rutherglen, Wahgunyah, Chiltern, Howlong and Corowa.
“They think we are an easy target because we are not 24-hour stations but we’re here to remind both the criminals, and concerned residents, that we are lucky to be close to full staffing strength in each of our stations and we are implementing new strategies to ensure that our towns are safe.”
Testament to this was the vigilance of both communities and their eagerness to look out for one another which resulted in the speedy recovery of the Holden Commodore along with a further vehicle stolen from Albury earlier in the evening. The second stolen vehicle was used in both the Rutherglen and Corowa incidents.
“Witnesses reported seeing both cars near Corowa High School before sunrise which just shows how switched on the community is in assisting our efforts to put an end to these crimes,” Sgt Savage said.
“Just think about what you do when you go to Albury,” Sgt Marshall said.
“You lock your car and that’s exactly what you need to be doing here too.”
Amazed at the valuables local residents had stolen from their vehicles, both Sergeants said that hiding items in the glovebox or console are simply not enough.
“People cannot leave valuables of any kind in their cars,” Sgt Marshall reiterated.
“Not overnight, not during the day, not in plain sight, not even hidden.
“We cannot emphasise enough how important it is for people to leave their valuables at home or, if that is not possible, to take them with them and not leave items in their cars, locked or otherwise.”
“There is no room for complacency with these criminals,” Sgt Marshall emphasised.
“Local residents just have to lock their cars and leave nothing of value inside them.”
If you see anything suspicious or have information that may assist police, please call 000 or Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000
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