ADDICTS TURNING TO HIGH-RISE BURGLARIES

At least six cat burglars with no fear of heights are believed to be at
work robbing high-rise units and multi-storey homes in the eastern suburbs.

Police investigating the outbreak of what was once considered a rare type
of crime, requiring some form of climbing training, yesterday warned those
living in high-rise buildings to lock balconies and windows even at night.

Detective Inspector Adam Purcell, of Waverley police, said that in his
area, which takes in Bondi, Bronte, Bondi Junction and Waverley, there had
been 15 incidents in the past month, including two on Tuesday.

Eight of these were units in Penkivil Street, Bondi, and five were units in
MacPherson Street, Bronte - many of which were entered while people were
sleeping.

On Tuesday, a man was seen scaling a series of balconies to enter a
fourth-storey unit in Bronte Road, Bronte, at 8.45am, but he escaped a
cordon thrown up within 15 minutes of residents reporting the incident.
Five hours earlier, another man was seen scaling an apartment block in
Oxford Street, Bondi Junction, and enter a sixth-floor unit where a family
slept.

He is believed to have stolen a vehicle from the underground car park.

Inspector Purcell said he believed the burglars were drug addicts without
formal training in rock climbing. He said it was believed that a number of
people were involved in the burglaries, rather than just one person, and
admitted that police were surprised by so many people now attempting this
type of crime.

Police in Kings Cross, Rose Bay and the Eastern Beaches-Maroubra patrol
have also reported similar crimes.

The burglars usually exited the buildings via the front doors or car parks
and were not interested in video recorders or TVs, but stole jewellery,
wallets and cash.

In a number of cases they have stolen the occupants' cars.