In the past month, at least 10 burglaries have been reported in north Oamaru alone.
Senior Sergeant Jason McCoy, of Oamaru, said the item of choice appeared to be bicycles either left in plain view or in unsecured garages or sheds.
At least one house had also been entered.
A specific area in north Oamaru was being targeted, he said.
"The numbers aren't huge, but we don't see a lot of burglaries here in Oamaru, so they're sticking out at the moment in the North End, from Orwell St down to Arundel St. That area's a concern to us at the moment.
"Ten is too many and we need to do something about that. We've increased our activity in relation to that area and we want people to call us about any suspicious behaviour."
While it had yet to be established, he suspected the burglaries were connected, he said.
"We think they possibly are because of the location ... You could suggest that they are linked at this stage until further inquiries establish otherwise."
Some high-end mountain bikes had been stolen in the area, the most recent being on Monday when a green, black and blue-coloured Avanti bike was stolen from a Balmoral St garage.
When asked if bikes were being stolen to order, he said it would be "naive" to think that was not the case.
Police had boosted patrols in the area and would distribute burglary prevention checklists to residents.
"We just want to make sure people take a proactive approach in regards to their property, making sure they're locking their garages and putting their property away that's outside."
The latest spike follows a similar string of burglaries reported in north Oamaru early last year, when at least eight properties were targeted in the area around Redcastle and Fernbrook Rds and cash was stolen.
