An alleged serial car thief who allegedly broke into almost 40 vehicles across multi-level CBD carparks over the past several months has been arrested this week.
The 34-year-old Collingwood man was arrested by officers from the Melbourne Proactive Policing Unit and Neighbourhood Policing Team on Tuesday morning and is facing 70 charges.
The arrest comes as part of a targeted operation in the CBD, following a 70% increase in reports of thefts from cars across Melbourne, with most occurring through unlocked doors or open windows.
As part of the operation, officers saturated Melbourne's car parks over two nights, providing both a highly visible and covert presence.
Police will allege the arrested male is a prolific thief who scoured several multi-level car parks to try and break into cars.
It's alleged he was responsible for nearly 40 thefts of both cars and other items located inside cars, with the combined total of all the items he stole being $60,000.
Police will also allege he caused $15,000 worth of criminal damages through his crimes.
The 34-year-old man from Collingwood was located with an angle grinder, bolt cutters, pliers and a multi-tool which was seized by police.
He was charged with approximately 70 charges in total, including burglary, theft of motor vehicle, loiter with intent to steal, criminal damage, and 38 counts of theft from motor vehicle. He was directly presented to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court where he was remanded until 3 February.
Police will continue to patrol car parks and other populated areas across the city.
Quotes attributable to Melbourne East Local Area Commander, Acting Inspector Paul Topham:
"We have seen a sharp increase in cars being broken into in CBD carparks, hence our dedicated operation this week.
"Everyone should be able to park their car securely and not have to worry if someone is going to break in.
"Unfortunately, some people fall victim to these opportunistic crimes because cars are left unlocked or valuables are left out, so we'd like to remind everyone to always ensure your vehicle is locked, especially when parking at a car park.
"We will continue to target this offending and patrol key areas to arrest thieves, prevent opportunistic crimes and keep everyone and their valuables safe."
