By Christine de Kock
BRAYBROOK might be listed fourth on the list of burglary hot spots in Victoria, but Footscray police says it not a cause for alarm.
Braybrook, Footscray West/Maidstone and Footscray each appeared on the top 20 of the RACV’s security review, which identified suburbs that were most at risk of burglaries.
The review was based on the 2003/4 Victoria Police Crime Statistics and 2001 ABS Census data.
The list shows that one in 16 homes were burgled in Braybrook, one in 20 in Footscray West/Maidstone, and one in 21 in Footscray.
Residents in Collingwood were most likely to be burgled, with one in 12 homes at risk, while the Victorian average was one in 48 homes could expect to be robbed.
Detective Senior Sergeant Graeme Nash, of Footscray Police, said he could not comment about the figures.
“But I do know that burglaries have come down by 30 per cent over the last financial year,’’ he said.
“Even though that’s high compared to other suburbs, we’re actually on a downward trend.”
He said burglars in the City of Maribyrnong usually stole electronic equipment, jewellery and money, and were usually non-confrontational.
“During the majority of burglaries, there is no harm done to anyone, although we do see the odd serious one,” he said.
Det Snr Sgt Nash said residents should take some precautions to prevent burglaries if they were going away over the holiday season.
“We have a big problem in the holiday season because we often don’t hear about the burglaries until after a week or two,” he said.
He advised people who are going on holiday to use timer lights, invest in a security alarm, and ask a neighbour to clean out the junk mail in the post box.
Asking a neighbour to leave their car in the driveway was also a way to give the impression that someone was at home, he said.
