Brazen is the word that best describes the sort of criminal who steals a handbag from a kitchen bench or a car from a garage.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
We haven’t quite come up with the word that best describes the thieves who steal crosses, used as temporary grave markers, from a business in town and line them up in a bus shelter.
But sadly we live in a city where petty criminals roam the streets committing what is commonly referred to as opportunistic crime.
And we can only think today’s front page story was just that. Opportunistic.
Opportunistic is the sort of crime that occurs when people leave their garage door up allowing access or when people leave cash visible in their unlocked car.
Of course we are not just talking about property loss, we’re talking about losing our peace of mind
We’ve probably all been victims of this so-called petty crime in the past, and remember exactly what it feels like to have our own space, our house or our car, violated.
It may not have been at someone’s house, but that’s what has happened here. The theft of the grave markers has been described by the police seeking these criminals as a ‘disgusting act’.
“Obviously we look upon that as a disgusting act – to steal grave markers and erect them in a residential area.”
However it’s something that the police probably deal with on a regular basis in Dubbo.
While some crimes are not opportunistic – and some things we just can’t prevent – there are some things we can do to help protect ourselves from the feelings of annoyance, anger and injustice that we feel when we are the victim of these crimes.
How many of us leave our windows unlocked at night, mow the backyard lawn with the front door unlocked or forget to ensure our handbag is zipped up while we’re grocery shopping?
It seems these days if we’re to avoid becoming victims we have to change the way we live.
The days of to being free and easy are gone. We must be extra vigilant and ensure our young children and elderly relatives are vigilant too.
It’s now up to each and every one of us to ensure we take crime prevention into our own hands and don’t become targets which make policing our city so difficult.
At least where we can.
Want to have your say? Send a letter to the editor using the form below:
We welcome your comments which may be published on this website and/or in the newspaper. Please provide all the required information below. Only your name and suburb will be published.
NOTE: Your submission may be edited prior to publication and a correct email and telephone number must be entered for verification purposes.
All fields are required.