Young thieves target oblivious luxury resort guests in Broome for quick, easy steals

Young opportunistic thieves are targeting tourists who are paying thousands of dollars to stay at luxury hotels. The number of break-ins in Cable Beach has risen dramatically in the past three months, with children as young as 11 taking advantage of visitors leaving their rooms unlocked, rear doors open and keys in plain sight. Hire cars and valuable items such as jewellery, phones and laptops are among the items that have been taken since the spike from September. Youth Policing Officer Constable Nathan Smith said the young thieves know they will get a result in the resort area. “It is a disappointing trend, but they know there are valuables there because people have spent money to stay there, so they know there will be things there they can take easily,” he said. “We have spoken to a few young kids about the opportunistic side of it and they say they like the hotels because it is easy to steal from, which is a very disappointing trend. “From a police side of things, we are focusing on increasing our presence in the area and sending out strong messages to resorts and visitors about always locking your doors.” Const. Smith said police were working closely with hotel managers to ensure they were passing necessary security information on to their guests. “It is very disappointing for them, but they have done some great work in getting our message across and also allowing us to use their resorts for evidence and access to footage,” he said. Bali Hai Resort and Spa owner Andy Guidera said he noticed the issue had escalated in the past three months. “What is interesting is that in more than 20 years, there has never been any forced entry at the resort, it is always people taking advantage of unlocked doors,” he said. “We always provide a secure and safe room and advise all our guests to lock their doors, but often it does not matter how many times you say this.” Mr Guidera said his concern was the impact the crimes had on the tourism industry and businesses. “You worry that people will comment about it on social media and that is all part of the challenges of doing business in the region,” he said. “Crime is one of the most serious things that can affect the business, but the positive is police seemed to have caught up with most of the children that have been creating havoc over the last three months.” Charged offenders are due to face court in relation to different break-ins over coming weeks.