By Trish Bowman
Yeppoon Police were kept busy last weekend with reports of two break-ins at Hidden Valley in Yeppoon along with three vehicle break-ins.
Yeppoon Police Senior Sergeant Nev Zrkovick said thanks to assistance from the community, Police apprehended the person involved with the vehicle break-ins.
“The community assisted by contacting Police and confirming the location of the offender and officers were able to pursue the man on foot before capturing him,” Snr Sgt Zrkovick said.
“The man was remanded in custody and was charged with the vehicle break-ins, breach of bail and obstructing Police.
“We value the assistance of the community who did not intervene, they informed Police of the man’s location and allowed us to do our job.
“This was a great result for the community and an amazing display of what can be achieved when we all work together.
“I cannot thank our amazing community enough for collaborating with police to find a positive solution.
“If you do witness an offence, for your own safety, please do not approach offenders yourself, contact Police and let us do what we do.”
Snr Sgt Zrkovick said Police are still investigating the two home break-ins where one premises was secured and one was not.
“Once again we need to remind everyone that it is vital to ensure your home, businesses and vehicles are secured and valuables are kept out of plain sight,” he said.
“Now might be a good time to consider looking at your old locks and considering upgrading to more secure deadlocks as a deterrent to opportunistic offenders.”
Tips to protect your property
• Prevent the theft of personal documents and mail by locking your mailbox.
• Upgrade old locks with more secure deadlocks.
• Keep all valuables at the home out of sight.
• Do not leave car keys lying around or on a hook, put them in a secure place out of sight.
• Make sure all your doors and windows are properly secured with locks that meet Australian standards.
• It is worth installing a monitored security alarm system, and to leave it activated both when you are at home and when you are away.
• Park your car in a secure, private garage.
• Produce a plan with your family to outline how to respond to emergencies, from a home break-in to a potential fire.
• Whenever possible, make an effort to get to know your neighbours.
• In the event of a burglary, report any suspicious activity in your neighbourhood to the police on Triple Zero (000) when it is safe to do so. If you have been burgled, do not touch anything or try to clean up the scene until the police have collected the evidence they need.
• Do not leave tools or ladders lying around that could be used by burglars to break in.
• Contact Police if you witness suspicious behaviour.