A perceived rise in break-ins, midnight intruders and stolen cars is leaving northern Illawarra residents on edge but Wollongong Police say they've got the situation under control.
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In one week alone Thirroul and Bulli collectively had more than 10 incidents reported to police including an attempted car-jacking; a damaging explosion; home invasions; and items stolen from vehicles.
There has been increased police patrols around these suburbs during the night.
Thirroul resident of nine years, Donna Bennett said she thought crime was increasing and no longer felt safe, especially after her neighbour found hooded intruders lurking around his home last week.
"I walk my dog a short distance in my street before we go to bed and I've never felt unsafe, but now I am feeling a bit uncomfortable in my own street in the dark," she told the Mercury.
An Austinmer resident who provided CCTV footage of midnight intruders wished not to be named as this wasn't the first time she'd collected evidence of people trying to get into her home.
"We've had [security] cameras for years and haven't had any issue previously, but now the camera doesn't even seem to deter," she said.
"Last Tuesday we had two men in hoodies, masks and gloves try our front door and car which were luckily both locked. They had jumped the fence from our next door neighbour."
Even Member for Keira Ryan Park said the community feedback he had received lately indicated a "spike" in crime, an issue he would continue to raise with police.
Wollongong's Crime Manager, Detective Acting Inspector Jayson Joerdens, said since Public Health Order restrictions eased there had been an increase in theft from motor-vehicle offences across the district, not just the northern suburbs.
But for break-ins and stolen cars there had actually been a decrease in incidents from September to mid-November compared to the same time last year.
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During that time, he said Wollongong Police had made 23 arrests across their district - five of those relating to incidents around Thirroul and Bulli.
"In relation to break and enters and stolen motor-vehicles, we've had ... a 13 per cent reduction in that period, from the year before," he said.
"Stolen cars, overall from the same period last year to this year, we are down 10 per cent ... though there's a lot more people out and about and what we have noticed is there has been an increase all over the command for stealing from motor vehicles."
In the latter instance, he said more than 90 per cent of cases were because the car or ute wasn't locked in the first place.
A Thirroul resident from Redman Avenue said his family was awoken by a an "explosion" at 2am on November 14, his CCTV showing hooded men inserting what he thought to be a "sophisticated pipe-bomb" into his letterbox.
Having lived in the area for decades he believed there were more incidents occurring but had also noted seeing incidents "everywhere between Austinmer and Corrimal" in recent months posted on social media.
The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said what once was discussed in Neighbourhood Watch meetings were now being aired with video and photos on social media, but felt police could be doing more.
Inspector Joerdens praised the community for sharing information to keep others safe, but advised residents to tell police.
He said no-one had been arrested as yet over the attempted car-jacking or letterbox bomb, Wollongong Police did have a "good base of who the crooks are and how we target them".
"With all our strategies we've put in place over the last month [incidents have] decreased dramatically," the Inspector said.
"We're on top of it, I can't go into the strategies, but we know some of these people."
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