Canberra's undesired reputation as the car theft capital of the country is having a trickledown effect across other crime types, with cars stolen from homes generating a spike in commercial burglaries across the territory.
ACT police recorded 60 commercial burglaries in December, a huge jump on the rolling monthly average of 38 over the previous 12 months.
And the incidents rolled into January with two burglaries at the Apple Store in the Canberra Centre on January 27 and 31, nine burglaries at shops in Scullin and Florey, and incidents at Nicholls, Crace, Palmerston, Gold Creek and Casey on the morning of January 2.
On January 21, five Canberra shopping centres were targeted, including three businesses in Scullin, during a rapid-fire series of burglaries in the early hours of the morning.
Bernie's From The Bay, Oriental Kitchen and Charnies Noodle and Dumplings each had their front door smashed when thieves targetted the Charnwood shops the same morning.
The common methodology used by the offenders is to break into residential homes where car keys are left unsecured, steal any easy items there, then steal the car and use it - usually within a short timespan - to rob one or more commercial premises and get out of the area quickly.
In the three months between October and December last year there were 435 burglary offences in the ACT and 235 motor vehicles stolen.
Operation Toric, a special police task force formed last year to specifically target known recidivist offenders, has had some success in bringing stolen motor vehicles down from a peak of 359 over the three months from April to June, but the complacency of residents in failing to secure their car keys is seen as a major contributing factor.
Two 17-year-old boys were charged over the Apple Store burglary and have faced court while a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy are before the courts in relation to the burglaries in the Gungahlin region.
Police also indicated they knew the offenders involved in most of these burglaries and encouraged them to "attend a police station before we come knocking".
Detective Inspector Shane Scott said business owners and residents should be vigilant and review their security.
"Commercial and residential burglaries remain an area of focus for police - we have seen the number of commercial burglaries in the ACT roughly double over the past decade, which is obviously a concern," Detective Inspector Scott said.
"We are aware that cars stolen from home burglaries are then being used to assist people to commit commercial burglaries.
"We are urging every resident to ensure their homes are secured and car keys are not left in open areas of the home.
"The recent spike in these incidents indicates targeted and opportunistic offending by individuals or small groups where numerous businesses are hit in a short period of time."
Anyone who has information which can assist the police investigations is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
