1.  GREETINGS from Jimboomba Neighbourhood Watch.

2. CRIME STATS.  The Jimboomba crime statistics for  April and June 2016 are now on the website.  Go to http://www.jimboombaneighbourhoodwatch.org/ and go to the Crime Report page.

3. INFORMATION FROM RACQ. In the July edition of RACQ eNews, it was reported that leaving front doors unlocked and windows ajar are some common ways that thieves enter dwellings.  It also states that home break-ins are most often opportunistic.  Householders are advised to take simple precautions to make their homes less attractive to thieves.  THEFT HOTSPOTS. The worst hit areas for home theft in the state are located mainly in Brisbane's southern suburbs with Postcode 4109 hit hardest.  Postcode 4207 (Beenleigh area) is ranked at number eight (8) in the state and this includes Yarrabilba and neighbouring Logan Village.

The following information was taken from a report given by Senior Sergeant Waugh at the July Neighbourhood Watch meeting.

4 CRIMINAL ACTIVITY UP: Population growth in the Jimboomba Police District is growing at an unprecedented rate and this has been accompanied by a rise in criminal activity. Reduced rentals has also seen a change in the demography of some areas and there has been an increase in social issues such as domestic violence. Despite this, our police officers are doing a great job in keeping things under control. Some criminal activity appears to be cyclic and it is anticipated that there will be some slow down over the winter months.

5. PROBLEMS WITH OUTSIDERS: A lot of offences are being committed by persons coming into our area, some travelling significant distances.  Whilst police have good knowledge of "their own patch", offenders coming into the area make their job much more difficult.

6. GOOD INFORMATION: Police are receiving good information from the public so the NHW and community connections are working well.  Keep up the great work!

7. MOTOR VEHICLE OFFENCES:  Ninety per cent (90%) of motor vehicle  criminal offences occurring in the Jimboomba Police district involve the use of stolen number plates. Police are planning more "Safe Plate Days" during which local residents are able to have their car registration plates secured with "one way" screws.

8. FUEL DRIVE OFFS. These are becoming an increasing problem and vehicles invariably have stolen number plates.  Strategies used elsewhere include insisting that hoods/head coverings are removed by customers before petrol pumps are activated from inside the console. This results in much clearer CCTV image should an incident occur.

9.  LUXURY CARS. Audis, Mercedes, BMW's and other luxury cars are being targeted by thieves.  Often these are brought into the area and found burnt out. Owners are urged to ensure that all spare car keys have been removed from unattended vehicles.

10. UNSECURED TRAIL BIKES: There has been an increase in trail bike theft, particularly "soft targets" when bikes are not stored in secure premises. Owners are urged to consider using chains and padlocks to deter thieves if secure storage is not available.

11. COMPLETE YOUR CENSUS AUGUST 9. Developers of the Flagstone Estate, currently the largest urban development in Australia and the huge Yarrabilba Estate are pushing to bring their police establishments forward. This is proving to be problematic as planning decisions are still  based  on 2011 census data. Police are looking forward to having more accurate demographic data following the 2016 census. Make sure you complete your census so that our area attracts the much needed facilities and services required for a rapidly growing population.  For information about the August 9 census,go to http://www.abs.gov.au/

12 SCAMWATCH. Keep up to date with the latest news and alerts about the activities of scammers by logging on to scamwatch.gov.au

13 FOLLOW US on Facebook at "Jimboomba Neighbourhood Watch".  If you are not a Facebook user, you can follow the posts on our website.  Follow us on Twitter @Jimboomba NHW.

14 KEEP A LOOKOUT FOR our next Neighbourhood Watch newsletter.  Copies will be placed in letterboxes and will be available for collection from local retail outlets within the near future.