Wollongong police have launched a Facebook campaign encouraging Illawarra residents to secure their homes against thieves.
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Crime prevention officer Senior Constable Mark Devine said police were finding many homes did not have sufficient security precautions in place.
"Constantly we're finding people aren't taking the right precautions and aren't securing their homes," Snr Const Devine said.
"There hasn't been a spike at all [in break and enters], but more and more we're finding people make it too easy for these thieves to gain access to properties.
"What we want to do is educate them in some of the simple ways to make their home secure and their property secure."
Snr Const Devine said simple measures such as locking the front door even when only leaving for a short time and closing garage doors would help reduce the risk of theft.
"Over the next few weeks we'll be talking about security lighting, sensor lights around entry points, alarm systems and even inventory for your property," he said.
"Most people, once they've been broken into, haven't got a clue what's missing because they just gather and don't keep an inventory of it, and it's very handy for insurance company purposes as well."
Wollongong police will be uploading home security tips to their Facebook page over the next two weeks.