By YASEMIN TALAT
A STRING of thefts at Williamstown and Altona beaches has prompted warnings for beach-goers.
Police are warning beach-goers to be mindful of their possessions and not bring valuables to the beach or leave their things unattended.
“What we’ve got a problem with is that people leave their valuables unattended on the beach while they go for a swim,” Sergeant Dean Howard from Altona North Police Station said.
“We want people to take more care of their stuff.”
Mobile phones and bags are hot property for thieves who watch and wait and seize the opportunities to steal.
A dedicated crime impact team has been tasked this summer to patrol the beaches to limit thefts and curb any antisocial behaviour.
Both plain clothes and uniformed police patrol the beaches on foot and in vehicles to combat these crimes.
The team was out in full force again last week as thousands flocked to the beach to embrace Melbourne’s heatwave.
And as the heat soared so did the number of thefts, with stolen property reports filed to police each day.
Mobile phones, bags , wallets and credit cards were all among the stolen property.
Sgt Howard has urged people to be mindful when leaving their possession unattened; reminding them that if they wouldn’t leave their phone or bags unattended at Chapel St or other public places then they should not leave their valuables unattended at the beach either.
He also warned that hiding phones under towels or in bags was not sufficient and the valuables could still be targeted.
“People are watching, they watch you hide your phones and they watch you go into the water and then go get it,” he said.
“Unless you have someone remaining with your personal items on the beach, don’t bring them to the beach.”
A staggering 10 mobile phones were stolen from underneath the Altona Pier within 30 minutes on 2 December, one of the first of the summer offences.
A female offender was processed by the Altona Crime Impact team for a handful of thefts.
Sgt Howard said people needed to be actively aware and not bring their valuables to the beach to avoid being a victim.
Anti-social behaviour was also being tackled by the team, with this type of behaviour at the beaches now at a low.
“There have been less crime and significantly less antisocial behaviour this summer,” Sgt Howard said.
“We have a dedicated team that’s been tasked to clean up the antisocial crimes over the vicinity of Altona beach and Williamstown beach over the summer period, and we’ve had a pretty good impact,” Sgt Howard said.
“That’s also through the co-operation with the shop keepers and liquor stores who make sure they don’t sell to people who may be under age,” he said.
Sgt Howard said the high level of co-operation from locals had also helped decrease antisocial behaviour and crime.
If You See Something, Say Something. To report a crime, call police on triple-zero or to report information on crime call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
