Senior Sergeant Paul Humphries said that 12 burglaries were reported in Esperance for the month of April, with the majority of these occurring in the Nulsen area.

“This is a big increase when you consider that in March, there were just three burglaries reported in the Esperance area,” Snr Sgt Humphries said.

“We believe there is a core group of juveniles responsible for the burglaries and we would like all Esperance residents, in particular Nulsen residents, to be aware of their surroundings and call either Esperance police or Crimestoppers if they witness any suspicious behaviour.”

“The offenders are usually stealing cash, alcohol and small electronic devices, such as Playstations, but we treat any burglaries seriously and we would like the public’s help to get on the front foot and nip this problem in the bud.

While burglaries rose last month, Snr Sgt Humphries said police have worked hard to reduce the number of burglaries in Esperance.

“Three years ago there was an average of somewhere between 50 and 60 burglaries a month in Esperance.

“Those are big numbers, and we have employed a number of techniques to get those numbers down to the levels they are at now.

“These techniques included setting up a dedicated team to investigate burglaries and targeting and identifying at-risk offenders.

“Becoming a 24 hours a day, seven days a week station has also made a remarkable difference in improving response times and reducing crime in the area.”

Snr Sgt Humphries said that Esperance’s crime figures for the last quarter were among the lowest in the state.

“We would like to continue that trend by apprehending these juveniles as quickly as possible.”