NEW data has shown NSW is among one of the most dangerous states for car thefts, but that's not the case in Leeton, according to police.
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There were a total of 55,427 vehicle thefts across the country during 2021, with NSW recording 10,473 of these.
However, in Leeton the number of incidents are relatively low.
Going back to 2017, there were 31 motor vehicle thefts in Leeton, 19 in 2018, 21 in 2019, 30 in 2020 and 17 in 2021.
Leeton police Inspector Justin Cornes said in most cases motor vehicle theft in the shire was an "opportunistic crime".
"We don't usually see a lot of stolen motor vehicles here in Leeton shire," Inspector Cornes said.
"We can put that down to the decline in recent years in relation to greater security and technology in motor vehicles.
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"We're finding cars that are stolen are usually linked to some other type of offence, such as a residential or commercial break and enter where the keys are obtained. Or, we're finding victims are leaving the keys either in the car or near the car."
So far this year, there has been nine thefts of motor vehicles in Leeton.
Commercial break and enters are slightly higher so far this year, but most other majority categories are holding steady, according to Inpector Cornes.
He reiterated residents should always be mindful when it comes to safeguarding their property from potential criminals.
"Those types of criminals are opportunists," Inspector Cornes said.
"They will look and see if a car is unlocked or even see something valuable inside and that's when they'll break in.
"It's an important reminder to everyone to lock their vehicles and preferably take valuables out.
"Even if you live on a farm or property, it's just as important to lock vehicles up."
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