Yesterday, police left ''lock it or lose it'' fliers on car windows and in some cases rang owners if they spotted valuables left in plain view inside the vehicle.
That move follows a spike in car break-ins including, in recent days, several cars targeted in the Moray Pl-Filleul St car park and another at the central Dunedin Warehouse car park.
In those cases a laptop and several iPads were taken in broad daylight from the vehicles, crimes that would not have occurred if the owners had removed their valuables, Snr Sgt Aitken said.
And his message for motorists?
''Don't leave valuables in cars.''
Thieves were targeting electronics such as iPods, GPS units and cash.
''They tend to be targeting cars that they can see stuff in.''
The thefts occurred regardless of the make, model or age of the vehicle, the thieves smashing into corner windows to gain access.
The flier included simple safety tips such as removing vehicle keys and spares from the vehicle, closing all windows and not leaving any valuable items visible in the vehicle, in the glove box or under the seats.