A PORT Macquarie-Hastings Council initiative has helped produce an overall decrease in thefts from motor vehicles across the local government area.
The council secured funding through the Attorney General’s Department to undertake the Don’t be a Clown theft from motor vehicle campaign last year.
The advertising campaign included the distribution of brochures and fact sheets as well as three television advertisements highlighting the foolishness of leaving unsecured valuables in motor vehicles.
The council’s community and organisational development director Lesley Atkinson said the results of the initiative were very encouraging, with local police reports indicating a 46.7 per cent reduction in theft from motor vehicles in 2013 compared to 2012.
A significant number of people responding to a council survey also indicated they had changed their habits as a result of the campaign.
Ms Atkinson encouraged motorists to continue taking steps to reduce the risk of theft from their vehicles.
Most important, she said, was the need for people to keep their vehicles locked at all times and to leave valuables out of plain sight of would-be offenders. Items most commonly stolen from vehicles include money, wallets, number plates, clothing, mobile phones, GPS devices, cameras and laptop computers.
“Often we do things that make life easier for thieves,” Ms Atkinson said. “It’s a matter of changing the way we think about car security and changing our behaviours accordingly.
“If we make it difficult for opportunistic thieves we can help drive the incidence of theft from motor vehicles down even further.”
