Backyard barbecues, visits to the beach and a relaxed start to the new year.

That makes this holiday period the perfect time for opportunistic thieves to get to work.

Police and Wollongong City Council are reminding people to keep their valuables safe over summer by keeping their cars and houses locked.

Council is partnering with Lake Illawarra and Wollongong Police Districts on the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council crime prevention initiative.

A joint effort to keep our community safe.

According to the theft reduction council, 70 per cent of late model vehicles are stolen with the keys.

Thieves are stealing car keys from homes, with half of all cars stolen taken from the home, and another 25 per cent stolen from a garage or the street outside the owner’s home.

The thefts are almost always opportunistic, with offenders often entering houses through unlocked doors and windows.

While motor vehicle theft in the Wollongong Local Government Area appears to be decreasing, our rate is above the New South Wales average with 411 incidents in the year to June 2018.

Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery has joined the call for vigilance.

“People can become complacent over the relaxed summer months about both leaving their homes and cars unlocked,” Cr Bradbery said.

There were more than 1300 incidents of theft from motor vehicles in our local government area in the year to June 2018.

That’s above the NSW average for this period.

The Mercury applauds the council and police for working together on this.

It’s great to see authorities working together with councils to prevent crime before it happens.

 Give them a hand by folowing their advice, so you don’t need to call on them to help find what you’ve lost later.