Police are encouraging residents to make it #tougherforcrooks, which is also the name of their campaign. People need to take simple steps to protect their belongings.
Officer-in-charge of Mandurah Police Station Stephen Thompson said thieves pick on easy targets.
“They steal from sheds with no padlocks, they go through open garage doors,” he said.
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READ NOW“I’ve seen homes with unlocked front and back doors.
“So this campaign is about making it tougher for them.”
n Burglaries in the Mandurah sub-district are up 12 per cent and thefts have risen 21 per cent on this time last year.
Secret Harbour, Singleton, Erskine and Greenfields experienced a fall in burglaries this year.
But they were up in Dudley Park and Halls Head.
A sizable proportion of these burglaries include stealing from homes under construction, building sites, sheds and garages.