But ACT crime figures reveal the patrol area was also a popular destination for lawbreakers last year.

ACT Policing records for 2011 identify the inner south as a hotbed of criminal activity, rating second overall, behind Civic, for total crime out of 35 patrol areas.

The exclusive neighbourhoods recorded the highest number of motor vehicle thefts (58 incidents) and property damage (408).

The area also featured prominently in other categories, placing third overall for assaults (108) and other thefts (584), fourth for burglary (119) and eighth for robbery (10).

However, the area bucked the crime trend for sex offences, ranking 25th with only four incidents.

The patrol zone encompasses some of Canberra's premier landholdings, from Yarralumla in the west through Capital Hill, Forrest, Parkes, Manuka, to Griffith and Kingston in the east.

But locals said the area is not the honeypot for Canberra's criminal milieu, claiming much of the wrongdoing is homegrown rather than imported.

ACT Neighbourhood Watch president Margaret Pearson said: ''I think it's a little more complicated than just 'you'll be targeted because you're wealthy', there'd be certain areas within that [patrol zone] that have higher crime rates than others.

''But, yes, there will be houses that are targeted because they appear to be wealthy and haven't taken appropriate security steps.

''A lot of crime is opportunistic, so houses with garages open or unlocked front doors will become targets.''

Yarralumla shopping centre business owner Yvonne Dourdoulakis has noticed a spike in crime in the seven years since buying both the suburban supermarket and mixed business post office- florist next door.

Both businesses have been ram-raided in the past two years, although the damage far outweighed the cost of stock taken.

''We thought when we came here, being a prestige area, there wouldn't be much crime, but there is,'' Ms Dourdoulakis said.

''Now we get security to pick up and drop off money, we have a security guard [in the evenings], roller shutters and CCTV. ''[But] I am surprised to hear the inner south is so bad, there is a bit that goes on around here but I didn't realise it was more than other shopping centres. I didn't think we were worse than the inner north.''

She believed youth were responsible for much of the trouble and advocates heavier penalties for those caught.

''Maybe community service, maybe make them clean up the mess they've made, something to make them see the damage and be involved in the clean-up of the damage. To see the effect on people.''