By Alesha Capone
BRIMBANK police have warned residents to be careful about locking their vehicles, after a spate of car thefts in and around Deer Park.
Senior Sergeant Fred Grove from Sunshine CIU said that in the latest incident, a 1998 model Toyota was stolen from a driveway in Christie St, Deer Park, on 20 November.
The locked car was taken at around 8pm after the offenders forced entry to the vehicle.
Sen Sgt Grove said the offenders then apparently drove the car to Lee St in Deer Park, where they dumped the vehicle and set it on fire.
A resident, who noticed the car and contacted the fire brigade, noticed two males near the car before the blaze. One was described as wearing a black hooded top and white T-shirt.
Sen Sgt Grove said there have been a few similar incidents in the Deer Park, Cairnlea and Keilor Downs area over the past fortnight.
“They seem to get into these early model Toyotas and take them for a ride, dump them and sometimes burn them, sometimes not,” he said.
Sen Sgt Grove said there were still a lot of thefts from cars occurring in residential streets in Brimbank, especially in Sunshine, Albion and Albanvale.
He said drivers should lock their cars and possibly consider replacing any old or rusted out locks, and not leave valuables in cars visible to people outside the vehicle.
