An increase in theft from unlocked cars and homes during the summer months has forced local police to warn residents to improve their security habits.
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"One of the areas where we've been getting hammered is stealing from motor vehicles," said Inspector Darren Williams, the new duty officer for Armidale Police Station.
"Over the Christmas period and throughout January, there's been an unsavoury group of people that are going around and getting into vehicles. Not so much smashing their way in but checking doors to see if they're unlocked, and if they're unlocked, they are gaining entry."
Inspector Williams said the 'opportunistic thieves' would then go through the car glove box and consoles and remove anything valuable such as mobiles, computers and wallets.
In December, there were 54 thefts from vehicles in Armidale and another 39 in January.
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"We saw a decline last month, but it's still going on," he said.
"We've arrested a couple of young persons in relation to some of these crimes, and a few have either been dealt with under the Young Offenders Act, or they're still going through court proceedings at the moment.
"We're just trying to get the message out to the public that they need to be safety smart, lock their vehicles up, and make sure their houses are secure - even when they are home."
Inspector Williams said that 17 local businesses and 32 Armidale homes had been broken into since the end of November, and some of those break-ins were 'aggravated'.
"The aggravation part of the break and enter is when the occupants are still inside the residence," Insp Williams said.
"Even though people are in their homes, they need to be mindful of the fact that there are people out there that will enter their home while they are still in it. They need to shore up their security and lock their doors at night. We have had a spike of this type of crime during the warmer months because people tend to leave doors open and forget to lock security screens."
During summer, fraud and scam activity has also been high, with 38 incidents reported to Armidale Police.
"The phone message telling you there is a parcel to collect is very popular at the moment," Insp Williams said.
"People need to be mindful of those and never give out bank details. Unfortunately, these scams tend to target our elderly and vulnerable, and the banks are reluctant to give people back money for what they see as stupid behaviour. The technology that these crooks are using is very, very clever."
There were 32 assaults in licensed premises during December and January, which is about average for the festive season, Inspector Williams said.
However, domestic violence numbers were up, and while the issue is an ongoing concern in the area, Inspector Williams says it demonstrates people are reporting it and wants to encourage them to keep doing so.
"We want people to report domestic violence because they shouldn't be punching bags," Insp Williams said. "We want to intervene to prevent it happening and break the cycle so we protect people.
"Although the reported numbers are slightly higher, It's a positive thing for us to know that people have confidence in reporting these matters to the police and that we're actually taking action against the offenders."
Shoplifting activity was also up over the holidays, and following a dedicated campaign, officers dealt with about 14 offenders during the December period.
Inspector Williams said he encouraged the community to report crime - but through the proper channels.
"If we don't know about it, we can't fix it," he said.
"But social media is not the platform to report crime," Insp Williams said.
"Call 131 444 or contact our station.
"A lot of people think if they put it on Facebook, they've done their civic duty, but it's not the place to report it."
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