Police are reminding residents to stay vigilant following a recent spike in attempted break-ins across town, particularly targeting vehicles.

“We’re still getting a run of attempted break-ins,” said Senior Sergeant Cam MacKinnon.

“They happen all over town from time to time, most of the involve attempts to access vehicles.”

He urged the public to park off-road where possible and avoid leaving anything visible inside vehicles, which can attract thieves.

“Across a normal week, we normally get one or two attempts of vehicles being broken into.”

A burglary on Goulstone Road on October 18 was swiftly resolved, thanks to public assistance, with a female offender charged after being seen entering properties.

“It was good to see that members of the public were very quick in notifying police, which enabled us to apprehend that person.

“We need the community’s help to police our community properly.”

The sergeant also reminded rural residents to remain alert, not just at night but during the day as well.

In response to social media concerns about a man in a blue Mazda behaving suspiciously near rural properties, police acknowledged the report but noted there was no definitive information about the occupant at this stage.

“This is the reality of the society we live in now … we’d rather the public call and give us every opportunity to catch these people.”

Referencing a recent incident on Peace Street, he added that a man reported for suspicious door knocking turned out to have a legitimate reason to be there.

“A reminder of how if you make the call, we can iron it out.”

He also warned that criminals have previously used disguises such as safety vests to pose as tradespeople or security staff.

“If something seems out of place, please call police. If someone knocks on your door or you find someone in your driveway, and the first thing they mention is they’re looking for someone, I suggest you call the police … quite often it’s used as a cover.”