Brightwater residents have been left feeling uneasy after many attempted thefts and multiple car break-ins last Thursday night.
One resulted in the torching of a Mitsubishi Outlander in the sports grounds off Lord Rutherford Road North.
Dozens of cars were looted of wallets, phones, car radios, clothes and tools, while others had been driven out of driveways and dumped elsewhere in the surrounding area. Thousands of dollars worth of items have been stolen, mostly things that can be resold quickly and easily.
On Thursday night, residents from Starveall Street, Malthouse Crescent and Lord Rutherford Road North, amongst others, complained of disturbances on their property, with some saying they only realised there was an
issue when their dogs kicked up a stink outside, scaring off would-be intruders.
It’s thought two separate groups had targeted the area as, just a few days before, there were 10 similar incidents reported in Wakefield. Police confirmed that one person has been arrested and charged in connection with those events,
after a pre-planned search warrant in Wakefield on Saturday evening revealed the stolen property at his address. However, it’s not yet clear if the suspect is connected to Thursday’s events in Brightwater.
As a result, police are urging locals to lock up their cars, take valuables inside, including electronics, speed detectors,
jewellery and bags. If you must leave things in your car, don’t leave them in plain sight.
“Let’s not make it easy for them to take whatever they like,” says Wakefield constable Jamie White.
Jamie went on to say the sheer number of incidents in one night was the worst he had seen in the three years since he has worked there, and that this level of activity was unusual.
The news that something wasn’t quite right spread quickly throughout the community with residents warning each other on Facebook that people were acting suspiciously, breaking into cars and rummaging around in garages and carports.
While Jamie says social pages are great for keeping people informed in real-time, suspicious activity still needs to be reported to either 111 or 105.
“Even if you don’t think it’s going anywhere, it helps us link evidence together,” he says.