Car break-ins in Bryndwr, Fendalton and Waltham. Keep your valuables safe.

Overnight on the 17th to the 18th of July, seven vehicles were broken into in Bryndwr and Fendalton and five in Waltham.

Many were parked on driveways.

Most were thoroughly searched, with parking metre change and electronics taken.

While Police will continue to focus on vehicle crime around areas where it is reported that they happening - there are some things the community can do to help.

“It can take as little as five seconds for an offender to smash a window and grab an item from a vehicle, and the cost of repairing the smashed window is often greater than the value of the items taken.

“We have seen instances of vehicles being broken into just for spare change that was visible from outside the vehicle.

"There are some basic prevention measures people can take that will greatly reduce the chances of their vehicle being stolen or broken into: ensure you don’t keep valuables in your vehicle when it is unattended and always lock it, even if you are only away for a short time.

“Please report any suspicious behaviour to us as soon as you can, we would much rather attend a false alarm than miss the opportunity to apprehend an offender,” says Senior Sergeant Vaughn Lapslie .

“People if they can, should try and thwart thieves by protecting their vehicles with anti-theft devices, and or by parking cars in garages or carports.

It’s also wise to install alarms and try and keep valuables out of vehicles if at all possible," he says.

See more details on our website about how you can keep your vehicle from being stolen: http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-community/protect-property-vehicles

ENDS

© Scoop Media