Thieves targeting mourners at cemetery

MOURNERS at Fremantle Cemetery are being targeted on a regular basis by heartless thieves.

Palmyra Police are receiving about one or two reports a week of cars at the cemetery being broken into while people visit their love ones.

Police estimate there were about 25 incidents in the 2017-18 financial year and just over 30 in the 2018-19 financial year, although there have been six incidents so far in July.

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Officer-in-charge senior sergeant Ross Eastman said the area was targeted because it was thought of as “easy pickings” for criminals.

“People are in a state of grief as they visit their loved one’s resting place and they forget the basics,” he said.

“They forget to lock their cars or they leave possessions visible, if you need to leave things in your car then you should lock them in the boot.

Sgt Eastman advised people visiting the cemetery to take their valuables with them if possible and also be aware of their personal safety.

“Even if we catch the offenders it can be a cold comfort because people will suffer the inconvenience of having their car damaged and their stuff stolen.

“It’s salt in the wound for people paying their respects and attending a funeral but there are people out there who will offend and they don’t care about your grief.”

Palmyra Police and the Melville Community Safety Service regularly patrol the area and there is CCTV in the car park.

“We need to be able to identify the offender, from the footage but sometimes they use stolen cars or have stolen number plates,” Sgt Eastman said.

“We encourage people to keep an eye on their motor vehicle and ring 131 444 if they see suspicious behaviour.

“It’s also important to note that just because you don’t see items left in your car as valuable, it doesn’t mean offenders won’t.

“They will steal your bag with your smelly gym clothes if they think there is something valuable inside it.”