Cameras considered at tourist hotspots

CCTV and other security measures are being considered for tourism hotspots on the south coast to prevent car break-ins and thefts.

Nine cars have been stolen in the past month at locations including Albany Wind Farm, The Gap, Blowholes and Nanarup Beach, with six of the thefts coming from cars of tourists.

Albany police are set to increase their presence at popular visitor locations as a result while the Department of Parks and Wildlife, which manage the sites, will also increase security in the lead-up to summer.

A Parks and Wildlife spokesperson said while “sporadic occurrences” of thefts were unfortunate and difficult to prevent, they were doing what they could at the remote sites.

“The department continuously works with the WA Police to ensure visitors to these sites are aware of the potential of break-ins and the precautions they can take to prevent these type of break-ins,” the spokesperson said.

“This includes carpark signage with the words of ‘Don’t leave valuables in your car’, and ‘Look, Lock, Leave’.

“Parks and Wildlife has also increased ranger presence in areas of concern and has installed ‘surveillance cameras in use’ signage accompanied by cameras in some locations.

“The department is investigating the installation of high-quality security cameras at key sites, to improve security for visitors and departmental infrastructure.”

Albany police officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Grant Pollard said there had been a reported spike in car break-ins in recent weeks and police were increasing their presence as a result.

Sen. Sgt Pollard said part of the police summer strategy was to place electronic signage on the routes to tourist spots, advising visitors to lock, hide and secure their valuables.

“We will be increasing our patrols out there to these tourist locations like The Gap and Blowholes, national parks and popular fishing areas,” he said.

“People have also got to take more responsibility.

“Lock your valuables in the boot, so they are out of sight. If there isn’t anything visible, a lot of these opportunistic offenders aren’t going to break in.”