Rodney Stevens
Despite regular reports on social media of crime in the Clarence Valley, police say we are not in the midst of a crime wave.
Almost every day, community-based pages in the Clarence Valley feature reports of theft or break-ins to cars and homes, from bikes and scooters, to motorcycles, cars, trucks and four-wheel drives.
Coffs Clarence Police District acting Crime Manager Aaron van Schaik said the command had not noticed a significant increase in thefts in region or the Lower Clarence.
“Currently the numbers are relatively low,” he said.
“There have been a few incidents, but I think they’re still isolated, overall.”
Detective Inspector van Shaik said proactive police patrolling at any time of the day and night had help keep a lid on any crime.
“Whilst there might be slight variations in the numbers, police in the area are proactive at identifying if there are any new offenders in an area and they usually get onto them fairly effectively,” he said.
Securing your home and car at all times and having CCTV are excellent measures to help prevent crime.
Detective Inspector van Shaik said he wasn’t aware of any arrests made in relation to recent thefts or break-ins in the Clarence Valley and thanked locals for reporting crimes and providing evidence which can lead to prosecution in court.
“The first level is intelligence, where we identify suspects and then it’s just a case of whether we can get enough evidence,” he said
“In a lot of cases police might have an idea who they it is but ultimately they have to get evidence to prove matters.”
Detective Inspector van Shaik couldn’t commit to having a Lower Clarence police station with a 24-hour presence over the summer holidays.
“There is the ability for a 24-hour police response as required,” he said.
“Police are always available in any urgent or emergency situation.
“When it’s not the case that the police are physically stationed at Yamba, there’s always other police within the police district who patrol there periodically, including proactive police and also traffic and highway patrol and they work at all hours.”
Taking simple security precautions, Detective Inspector van Shaik said, including ensuring cars and homes are locked, and keeping valuables out of sight can prevent theft.
“A lot of thefts from motor vehicles and from homes is from unlocked vehicles or unlocked houses,” he said.
“Simple security precautions like making sure your cars are locked up and valuables aren’t in sight and also ensuring your home is locked up as well.
“Although you might be at home and think its less likely that people will want to break in, if a door is unlocked an offender can, and will come inside.
“Don’t leave your keys and your wallets and purses in sight in the house…if something is in plain sight an offender can just see it and grab it.”
Detective Inspector van Shaik said police will be stepping up patrols over the busy summer holidays.
“The public can be reassured that police will be conducting operations throughout the upcoming school holidays to address issues related to property theft, whether it’s related to motor vehicles or residential premises,” he said.
The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research BOCSAR will release the latest quarterly crime statistics this month.