By Ann Marie Angebrandt
LAW-breakers took a slight holiday over the Christmas period with less crime than normal reported in Wyndham.
Werribee police said both home and business burglaries were down by a third compared to last Christmas.
A man from Braybrook and another from Vermont South were charged with several pre-Christmas house burglaries in Wyndham.
Newly elected Truganina Ward councillor Leigh Barrett’s Point Cook home was among the targets for thieves.
Mr Barrett found himself face-to-face with a brazen robber who broke into his Willowgreen home at 3.30am on 21 December while his family slept.
The councillor was alerted to the break-in by his dog, but originally thought it was his daughter.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said.
The culprit escaped with Mr Barrett’s briefcase, his wife Penny’s handbag, his council mobile phone, and house and car keys.
“It makes you realise even though there are three cars in the driveway and Point Cook is usually a very peaceful area, you’re not even safe sometimes in your own home,” he said.
The thief managed to purchase nearly $2000 worth of cigarettes at various service stations around the West before all the Barrett’s credit cards were cancelled.
“We had to spend the days before Christmas getting the house and cars re-keyed and calculating the losses for the insurance,” he said.
Mr Barrett praised the Altona North police, who responded promptly to his early morning call.
In other crime, several vehicles in Wyndham Vale were the subject of damage and theft, especially those parked on nature strips and on the street.
Werribee police are urging residents to secure their vehicles when leaving them unattended, following the break-in of several unattended cars at shopping stations and petrol stations.
Senior Constable Pauline Toohey said even though people may be only ducking into a shop for a few minutes, thieves can strike within seconds.
“Although the window of opportunity is small, thieves can easily get away with small personal items left in cars.”
Werribee’s traffic management unit issued some 100 penalty and other speed notices over the Christmas period, about the same level as last year, said acting Sergeant Dennis Basham.
About 15 of those resulted in a loss of licence, meaning drivers were exceeding the speed limit by 25 km/h or more.
Fire stations were quiet, with only minor local incidents reported, said Werribee CFA brigade captain Darryl Wells.
However, several members of the Truganina CFA brigade have been dispatched to Stawell to help fight bushfires in that area since New Year’s Day.
