How to safely store your belongings in apartment car parks

When entering or leaving the car park, avoid letting another car or pedestrian in. Look around you, use your mirrors to see behind you, and wait for the door to close securely before parking or leaving the premises.

Neighbourhood Watch recommends checking that nearby security gates, access doors or fire escapes are also securely closed, and not left open or propped open.

Do not allow entry to people you don’t know. If you see someone acting suspiciously, contact the Victoria Police Assistance Line, or if a crime is in progress, call Triple Zero (000).

Even if your car is in a secure garage or car park, valuables should not be left on display. When you leave your car, take your garage remote, fob or swipe card, wallet or handbag, GPS and any coins with you.

“Most thieves break into cars because they see something they want inside,” Gordon says. “By removing any valuables from display in your vehicle, you can reduce the likelihood of theft.”

Make sure your windows are fully closed and always lock your vehicle. In addition, keep your keys or car fob hidden and out of sight once you’re in your apartment.

With number plate theft on the rise in Victoria, it’s worth fitting anti-theft screws, too. You can get them fitted at a Neighbourhood Watch safe plate events, your local police station, or buy the screws from a hardware store. 

If you have a bicycle, e-bike, motorbike, or scooter, lock it securely to the available parking infrastructure or a solid fixed point within the parking area. If your apartment block doesn't have secure bike parking, consider keeping your bicycle inside your apartment.

There are a range of security devices that will help prevent bike theft. Neighbourhood Watch recommends securing the handles with a steering and/or ignition lock and using a manual locking device, such as an alarmed disk, D lock or strong, thick chain and padlock.

Record the serial number of your bicycle and any identifying features, so that if it’s stolen, you can include these details when you report the theft to police. 

Gordon says there are extra precautions worth taking to protect your belongings in a storage cage.

“People with wire fences around their security cage should line the cage with plastic sheeting or something similar, so that potential offenders are not tempted by what is being stored inside,” she says.

Don’t store anything you consider valuable, precious, or sentimental in your storage cage, and invest in a good quality, steel lock, potentially one fitted with an alarm. 

If there is insufficient lighting in the communal garage or carpark, it may be an issue you can raise with the body corporate or owners’ corporation.

Options include professionally installed motion activated senor lights, and other home security measures like security cameras to deter burglars from breaking in. 

Neighbourhood Watch Victoria has information on how to create a safer and more connected community.

Their programs include Connect Up, which helps connect neighbours in high-rise residential towers.

As well as setting up an online community, such as a Whats App group or private Facebook group to watch out for each other, you can build neighbourly connections by greeting your neighbours when you see them and organising a barbecue at a local park.

More: How to improve street security in your neighbourhood