Sunshine Coast police are teaming up with the local community to kick opportunistic theft to the curb, sharing tips on how every resident can join forces to keep their property safe.

District Officer Superintendent Craig Hawkins is asking for the community to come together, support each other, and help reduce the risk of opportunistic theft.

“Through intelligence and understanding offender motives, we know there are opportunistic offenders who travel from other areas of southeast Queensland to the Sunshine Coast in an attempt to take advantage of our relaxed way of life – perceiving that many people who live here often leave their property unsecured,” Supt Hawkins said.

Max, a resident of Maleny, has recently experienced property theft firsthand.

Between the hours of midnight and 6am on 1 September, Max’s house was allegedly entered through an unlocked door, behind a gate, on the side of his house.

The offenders allegedly entered the house and stole his keys and wallet from the kitchen bench before using his keys to get away with his Honda Accord which was parked in the driveway.

Police later located the car in Pelican Waters and investigations under Operation Cornmeal lead the Child Protection Investigation Unit to arrest a 13-year-old Currimundi girl, a 14-year-old Bli Bli boy and a 14-year-old Baringa girl over the incident.

Superintendent Hawkins sees the impact these confronting experiences have on our community’s day-to-day life and is asking for help to make a change.

“Having your car, keys or wallet stolen can be a significant financial loss through having to pay insurance excess or replacing what was stolen,” Supt Hawkins said.

“But it can also cause great challenges in getting to and from work or school, buying groceries without a bank card, having to replace the locks in your home, but most importantly, how you feel thereafter in your own home,”

“I never want our community to live in fear, and police come to work every day to ensure we all feel safe in our neighbourhood.

“With this said, it is important for all of us to be mindful of our security habits and take the actionable steps to help maximise our security measures.

“I can assure you that police, including our Property Crime Taskforce and Criminal Investigation Branch, are working hard to put offenders into custody, however, putting a stop to property crime on the Sunshine Coast will always be a team effort.

“It’s important for everyone to play their part in this effort by continuing to lock doors, gates and windows to your homes and vehicles and keep valuables, like keys and wallets, out of plain sight.

“Together, we can help to make our Sunshine Coast community a safer place to call home.

“We ask that you help your police to help you.

“We will continue to focus on crime prevention to help our community strengthen their property security, and this will include a school competition to educate students about the importance of locking up and upcoming pop-ups at shopping centres.”

For more tips on how to secure your property, visit: https://www.police.qld.gov.au/safety-and-preventing-crime.