Yet another spate of brazen thefts across the Orana region has Dubbo police urging residents to be vigilant and reassuring them that catching culprits is a priority.
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Thieves targeted Dubbo Golf Club twice in the past week, when they broke into a shed and stole a total of six golf buggies.
The buggies were later found at various locations, including Boundary Road, the Tracker Riley Cycleway and Margaret Crescent.
A 15-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly being part of a group that stole the buggies and two of his alleged accomplices are known to police.
In Gilgandra, 53 ewes were stolen from a property on the Castlereagh Highway in the past week.
A quad bike was stolen from a Pilliga Road property in Coonamble on Friday.
A fly screen was also removed from a Wilga Street address in Coonamble on the same day, with a chainsaw, DVD player and Apple device stolen.
In Narromine two vehicles were stolen on Saturday night.
A Ford Territory was taken from a Cathundril Street address and found on fire on the Tomingley Road, while a White Kia Rio was stolen from a Murgah Street address and has still not been found.
Investigations into those incidents are continuing and acting Orana Mid-Western Police District Inspector Jill Gibson said police shared community concerns.
"We're sick of people's homes getting broken into," she told the Daily Liberal.
"We're actively looking for the culprits and our message to thieves is 'do not do it here'."
Acting Inspector Gibson said Dubbo police were leading other stations in NSW when it came to building a bank of DNA samples that would make it easier to identify criminals, and hopefully deter would-be thieves.
"We've had over 700 DNA hits and even today we identified a culprit from a sample we got from a 2016 break and enter," she said.
Fifteen officers were attached to a dedicated property crime unit that targeted repeat offenders, acting Inspector Gibson said.
Community members can also reduce the risk of being targeted.
"Don't leave keys in vehicles, don't advertise you're going on holidays on Facebook and look at doing simple things like getting security lighting and asking neighbours to keep an eye on your place," acting Inspector Gibson advised.
Any resident wanting advice or ideas on how to protect themselves and their property could collect a new free home safety pack from Dubbo Police Station, she said.
