Burglaries have increased by a staggering 38 per cent in Whittlesea, Crime Statistics Agency data reveals.
And police have called on the public to help each other in a bid to curb the latest increase.
Whittlesea inspector Paul Tysoe said the spike in burglaries was the result of people breaking into houses to steal car keys.
He also said property thefts were higher in areas with lots of houses under construction, and he urged residents to secure properties.
“A lot of it boils down to looking after each other and letting neighbours know when your property will be unoccupied,” he said.
The data reveals overall offences in Whittlesea rose 8.7 per cent, driven by the jump in burglaries, while Hume’s 18.4 per cent crime jump was led by a rise in drug offences.
Inspector Tysoe said police recognised that the overall crime rate in Whittlesea would continue to increase as the population grew.
However, police are working with the community to tackle the problem, he said.
Epping had the highest number of property and deception offences in the Whittlesea municipality, with 1989 reported to police in the year to March.
Property and deception offences include arson, property damage (graffiti and broken windows), burglaries and thefts.
In Hume, the 3064 postcode covering Craigieburn, Roxburgh Park, Kalkallo and Mickleham, had the highest number of property and deception offences in that municipality, with 3760 reports.
The 3047 postcode, which takes in Broadmeadows, Dallas and Jacana, had the second highest number of offences (2295).
Hume inspector Anthony Brown said higher numbers were not necessarily a bad sign, given that police have undertaken a string of successful drug raids over the past 12 months.
“Obviously, drug use in general, we don’t see as good, but … we’re catching them.”
