GPS theft city

By Melissa Grant
CASEY is a hotspot for GPS thefts and according to police motorists are to blame.
Police figures show that Casey was among the top 20 areas for Global Positioning System thefts with 147 units stolen during the 2007/08 financial year.
But it’s not quite as bad as neighbouring Greater Dandenong where 159 units disappeared.
Narre Warren CIU Detective Sergeant Steve Gaskin said thefts of the popular navigation technology would continue to rise unless motorists made a concerted effort to remove all signs of the system from their vehicle.
“It’s all right for us to say, remove the item, but a GPS leaves the holder and suction marks,” he said. “Mainly, theft from motor cars arose from people looking in the window. Nearly 80 per cent of all people processed for theft from motor cars looked in the vehicle prior to breaking into it.”
Det Sgt Gaskin said GPS systems and cash were the most commonly stolen items from vehicles parked in Casey, but thefts of iPods and MP3 players were also rising.
Det Sgt Gaskin urged motorists to take note of where they parked their car.
“Shopping centres these days generally have cameras in underground parks,” he said.
Det Sgt Gaskin said motorists parking in unsecured locations needed to take their GPS with them or put it in the boot.
“If he (the thief) looks in the window and doesn’t see anything he won’t break into your car and will move on to the next one,” he said.