Police said the days of leaving your cars unlocked, windows down and homes unsecured while you’re out are gone, as thieves take advantage of easy options.

East Tamworth is the latest target, with break-ins or attempts and thefts from cars reported in streets like Chelmsford, Carthage and Woodburn Way. But police said in the the majority of incidents, owners had left windows or doors unlocked or open.

“We can’t fix complacency,” Oxley Acting Superintendent Jeff Budd told The Leader.

“These crimes are opportunistic. People are leaving the opportunity open for thieves, who are seizing it.

“And it seems that no matter how many times we tell people to lock up and secure their homes, and cars and valuables, people are still complacent.”

Coins were the biggest goods taken from cars left unlocked, while thousands of dollars worth of sunglasses, a wedding band and sentimental, 80-year-old gold watch were stolen from a house in Carthage Street.

The break-in occurred during business hours on Tuesday after offenders removed a fly-screen to gain entry, before ransacking the house and stealing goods. It was a passerby that noticed the fly-screen in the yard who alerted police.

Acting Superintendent Budd said Operation Vikings is continuing but police usually notice a seasonal spike in property crime in January with the festive break, school holidays and hot weather combining to create perfect conditions for offenders.

“Residents need to be vigilant, reduce the temptation for offenders by securing their property and removing valuables from sight. These are opportunistic crimes so take away the temptation and reduce your chance of becoming a victim,” Acting Superintendent Budd said.

A man’s wallet was stolen and the cards strewn across the Hume Street after an offender accessed a Kenneth prime mover parked in Taminda on Tuesday afternoon.

The truck was parked on the side of the road when offenders got in through an unlocked passenger door and stole the wallet before making off with a fuel card and a credit card.

In the same street, a trucking company employee disturbed two children acting suspicious in the yard.

The kids were seen trespassing in the trucking yard and got into the back of a vehicle tray before the employee disturbed them. The kids fled on foot, leaving two pushbikes at the scene which were seized by police as part of their investigating.

CCTV is also being reviewed of the area after two worker shouted at a young male trying to break into cars in a carpark off Peel Street.

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The employees saw the offender entering two cars, which police said were both left unlocked, about 4pm on Tuesday, and made off with coins after being disturbed.

Three bikes have also been reported stolen in East Tamworth. A Trek road bike was taken on Monday night, while two Specialized-branded mountain bikes were stolen from a locked, bike rack parked in the driveway of a Woodburn Way property in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Between Monday and Tuesday morning, an unlocked back window allowed thieves easy access into an Anne Street property, while a tool set and a cash were taken from a Mitsubishi Pajero parked in Quinn Street and left unlocked on Monday night. 

The owners of a Subaru Forester also fell victim after their car was left unlocked in their carport, but reported a small amount of money missing.