Warm weather has brought out thieves in Dunedin, with thefts from vehicles spiking over the past week, and continuing unabated through the weekend.
In the past week, 39 cars in the area from South Dunedin to Company Bay have been broken in to and small items, such as iPods, CDs, loose change and cameras, stolen. The thefts occurred generally overnight, with thieves breaking windows and forcing locks to access valuables, Senior Sergeant Brian Benn said, adding people needed to be mindful.
"Most of the cars have been unlocked and [the offenders] have even walked up driveways to get to vehicles. If there are three cars at a property, they will have broken into all three."
During the weekend, cars parked in South Dunedin, Macandrew Bay and Company Bay were targeted, while cars in Andersons Bay, Waverley and Highcliff Rd were targeted last week and again at the weekend.
The easiest way not to be a victim was not to leave things in your car.
Locking vehicles would also help, he said.
Several teams of police had been deployed to target the thieves, with teams re-rostered on to night shifts, and to do extra bail checks on people known to steal from cars.
One person checked was arrested on unrelated matters.
Police were still looking for three more people known for stealing from cars, who were wanted to arrest.
Snr Sgt Benn asked anyone who saw anything suspicious, or had any information about those involved or any stolen property, to contact police on 471-4800.
