Police are warning Dunedin tradesmen to keep tools out of sight after two more vehicles were broken into this week.
Inspector Craig Dinnissen, of Dunedin, said tools worth a total of $4500 were taken from two work vehicles in the Brighton and Calton Hill areas in what appeared to be "opportunistic'' thefts.
Those responsible had smashed windows to get into the vans.
The thefts appeared to be part of an ongoing trend and were starting to become a regular occurrence, Insp Dinnissen said.
While the tools stolen were heavy, they were in kitbags, which made them easier to steal, he said.
Parking work vehicles in driveways did not deter offenders.
Last month, police put out an alert about vehicles being broken into in parts of Dunedin through August and continuing into September.
Tools from tradies' vans, cars and building sites were targeted across various Dunedin suburbs, including Maryhill, Belleknowes, Green Island, Mosgiel, Dunedin Central and Tainui.
At the time, police encouraged tradesmen to get their tools engraved with their driver's licence numbers.
"Parking vehicles out of sight, removing valuable items over weekends, securing tools inside vehicles with chains and padlocks or even a tarp thrown over the top of them can be a useful deterrent,'' Insp Dinnissen said at the time.
