Canberra's southside suburbs have been identified as hot-spots for opportunistic thieves who stole smartphones, wallets and other valuable items from cars, prompting police to warn motorists to "lock it or lose it".
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There was an average of 39 thefts from cars each week Canberra in the 12 months to November last year, ACT Policing figures have revealed.
And police say many car owners only have themselves to blame, as two-thirds of reported thefts were from vehicles that were left unlocked or with windows down in the first place.
The suburbs with the most incidents reported were Wanniassa (63), Kambah (61), Civic (47), Phillip (46) and Gordon (45).
A breakdown of when the thefts took place showed thieves targeted cars parked in open-air carparks and street parking near workplaces and shopping centres in Belconnen, Parkes, Braddon, Turner, Phillip and Fyshwick more often during the day.
In suburban areas with the highest frequencies of thefts, including Wanniassa, Narrabundah, Kambah, Gordon and Florey, cars were far more likely to be broken into when they were parked in driveways and residential streets overnight.
There was also a steady number of incidents reported in entertainment precincts in Manuka, Kingston and along the Northbourne corridor.
Touch or click on an icon to see the data for that suburb. Full information is in the related pop up.
Crime prevention station sergeant Daryl Neit said the figures weren't surprising and Canberrans who left expensive gadgets strewn throughout their cars had become victims of their own complacency.
"I'd rather just see people put your iPad, your phone, your wallet on the roof of your car because then at least your car won't get smashed and we all won't pay more for insurance.
"It's just like a surfer to a great white shark, you're just throwing burley in the water for them."
"Then there are people who do a great community service and a great service to thieves and don't even lock their cars."
Sergeant Neit said many villains were repeat offenders and would snatch "anything and everything of value", from tablets and smartphones to cameras, sunglasses and cash.
"Because the parking costs half your housing loan these days, people leave a lot more cash in their cars."
"These are opportunistic thieves, they walk along through carparks and if they look in through a window and see something valuable in there - boom. They'll just take it."
Canberrans were urged to leave their cars barren and Sergeant Neit said it was well worth making a report to police if their belongings went missing.
Stolen items were often recovered and each piece of information helped police build a picture of crime incidents, he said.
"If your car has been broken into, report it. If you have had your stuff stolen, report it."
"If anyone is seen loitering around parked cars, peering into car windows or acting in a suspicious manner, we would urge them to call police on 131 444."
