WARMER weather and longer days have drawn locals outside, flocking to beaches and dusting off bikes, but police have warned it's no time to let guards slip.
Newcastle crime manager Detective Inspector Steve Benson said "old surfie" tricks like leaving car keys on tyres were not safe.
He also urged residents to wheel things like bicycles, and move other equipment, toys and parcels, out of sight of anyone walking past homes.
"Just being a bit smart, because there are people that are observing and looking for opportunities," he told the Newcastle Herald.
"If you've got items on the porch, make sure you bring them around the back.
"What we can do is minor things to change our habits, change our behaviours."
Detective Benson said officers believed a significant amount of property crime - like thefts from cars or homes - stemmed from stealthy thieves striking unlocked doors or windows.
"Anecdotally too, people tell us they were walking, saw something, and went 'oh no one's there' - they might not have even formed the intent until they see the object," he said.
Detective Benson said police had received reports of bicycles being stolen.
"Lock your bike, locations where there's community presence will negate anyone trying to cut your lock," he said.
"It might be as simple as rolling your bike around the back of the house, out of sight."
He also said with Christmas season coming up, and people making the most of Australia Post, locals needed to be careful to bring parcels inside quickly or opt to sign for them.
Detective Benson said he didn't like using the term "minor crime" because every incident involved a victim and loss.
That's something Teressa Langworthy now knows all too well.
She also knows that even when people take all the right steps, they can still suffer.
Her 15-year-old son was riding his e-bike from the Bar Beach area to Darby Street on a Friday afternoon last month when he believes he was followed by another man.
Ms Langworthy told the Herald her son locked his bike on the bustling street in the daylight hours before popping into a store to get food.
She said a man approached, cut the lock and stole the e-bike, and people nearby alerted her son in the shop afterwards.
"He genuinely thought 'oh my god, I locked my bike, how does this happen?'," Ms Langworthy said.
"It's a really hard reality."
She said the incident had left her family shocked, and the e-bike had been her son's way of getting around on his own and getting to and from school.
"I don't like that he had to experience that," she said.
"We know things get stolen ... him doing the right thing and locking his bike, you just don't expect it."
She said the matter had been reported to police.
Detective Benson said Newcastle police would continue targeting property crime.
"Coming up to Christmas ... we'll focus more on that and getting a more overt presence as well," he said.
The force's Operation Confidence has been a success, where a "surge" of resources is deployed to any given area at a particular time, purely to be more visible.
"Talking to the community, business leaders, doing a bit of beat policing, walking around and flying the flag," he said.
"And that's worked really well."
