Created by Crime Stoppers Victoria and Victoria Police, the campaign aims to tackle this type of offending by calling on the public to submit footage of suspicious activity recorded through CCTV or dashcams.

Crime Statistics Agency figures revealed there were 4214 residential aggravated burglary offences in Victoria during the year ending September 30, 2022, representing a 12.7 per cent increase on the previous period.

An aggravated burglary can be when the offender enters a home with someone inside, however, police intelligence suggests more than 95 per cent of residential burglaries involve no confrontation whatsoever.

The campaign also targets car thefts, including items taken from vehicles, with thieves often looking for easily accessible cars such as those that are left unlocked.

Hamilton is no exception to this form of offending, with a series of break-ins occurring between the night of December 16 and the morning of December 17 last year, in the vicinity of Hensley Park Road and King Street.

The offending saw homes and cars targeted by offenders, with one home in Grosvenor Place broken into, where the elderly male resident confronted the offender who then dived through a plate glass window and ran away.

At the time of the offending, Hamilton Criminal Investigations Unit detective sergeant, Mark James, told The Spectator that the incident reinforced the importance of locking cars and removing valuables from sight.

“Lock your cars - please,” he said.

“Crooks play a numbers game - if they go around trying enough car door handles, they will eventually find one that’s unlocked.”

The new ‘Lights, Camera, Catch ‘em’ campaign is putting offenders on notice that anyone in the community could be watching and urges residents to play a key safety role through keeping an eye out for suspicious activity and reporting it. 

Examples of the type of footage that can be submitted to assist investigators are CCTV or dashcam footage of suspicious behaviour such as people trying car doors or looking into vehicles, loitering outside properties, and looking through windows or attempting to enter homes. 

In response to the Crime Stoppers campaign, Western Region assistant commissioner, Michael Grainger, said people should do whatever they can to reduce the likelihood of a burglary and noted that installing CCTV cameras is not the only option.

“Anything that anyone can do to make it harder for the criminal to take your property is great but of course all of us have different abilities to commit to other crime prevention methods,” he said.

“The simple version is to put your stuff away and lock your cars and houses.

“Think about what you can do to make it a bit harder for other people to take your stuff and take your property.

“As long as it’s legal, do what you can.”

Asst Comm Grainger acknowledged the increase in this type of offending across the state but said he did not think residents should be concerned as simple measures can be very successful preventatives.

“Is it on the rise? Yeah but it really has been a very, very limited crime type in my experience,” he said.

“It’s only a recent thing.

“I don’t believe it’s a trend, I certainly think it’s a spike.”

Crime Stoppers Victoria chief executive, Stella Smith, said people within the community should not discount the role they can play in assisting police, even if they were not the victims of a burglary.

“By regularly reviewing your CCTV cameras and sharing any suspicious activity recorded, you could assist investigators and help protect your community,” she said.

“We need the community’s assistance to help police catch perpetrators and prevent any further home break-ins or people’s cars being stolen from their own driveway.

“We want the community to know that collaboration is key to preventing and solving these incidents. 

“If you see something, say something.”

Aggravated burglary attracts a penalty of up to 25 years’ jail while car thieves can be jailed for up to 10 years.

 The community are urged to share CCTV footage and any information about suspicious activity with Crime Stoppers via crimestoppersvic.com.au or by calling 1800 333 000.