Oxley police Detective Inspector Jason Darcy told the Leader offenders were walking the streets "under the cover of night" and easily gaining access to homes and cars, mainly in south and west Tamworth.

"It's not from people hot-wiring or smashing windows or anything, it's purely 100 per cent, on all occasions, cars that are unlocked," he said.

Police have put on extra patrols, working with officers on bikes and in plain clothes as well as highway patrol to combat the problem.

The trouble is that police believe the thefts are sparking more crime.

READ ALSO:

Detective Inspector Darcy said once the offenders have access to a car they are "travelling all over town" and committing further property offences, almost all of which occurs in stolen vehicles.

"We have extra crews working but they can't be everywhere," he said.

"We have police out and about every night ... they can be there within minutes, you just need to let us know and report it."

He told the Leader police had received a rise in reports of stolen cars particularly in the past couple of weeks.

"We are seeing it happen every night, or every second night, and on every occasion it's an unlocked car," Detective Inspector Darcy said.

"Police normally find them within a day or two, usually dumped or burnt out."

He said CCTV reveals people walking the streets trying to open car doors, they simply move on to the next one if they are locked.

Another issue is members of the public leaving garage doors unlocked or the buzzers out, so people can gain entry to the house and steal keys, he said.

Police are pressing home the need to put personal safety first, lock up, and report any suspicious activity to police.

He said police are working proactively to halt crime across the city, but need the assistance of the public to "make it more difficult" for the small group of people police believe are involved in the activity.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: