Despite the rash of burglaries, detectives say property crime is down in Malibu, while the number of arrests is up.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
A series of home burglaries around Big Rock Drive have taken place since late summer, reports the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
Since Aug. 30, at least four homes have been broken into, usually while the homeowner was away, and all but one was located on Big Rock Drive. Items stolen include jewelry, a mountain bike and a handgun.
Sheriff’s Detective Matt Dunn said the first theft was a mountain bike, stolen from a resident’s garage on Piedra Chica Road, off Big Rock Drive, on Aug. 30.
“The thief probably entered through an unlocked garage door,” Dunn said.
In September, a home on Big Rock Drive was ransacked and the burglar made off with a guitar and some jewelry.
“It appears as if the thief entered the home by removing a window,” Dunn said. “There was very little to go on in this case, though the entire house was dusted for fingerprints.”
He added that the fingerprint report had not been returned yet.
In October, a homeowner reported a break-in at a house on Big Rock sometime between Oct. 14 and 18. A necklace, some other jewelry and a handgun were stolen.
Dunn said the thief evidently entered the house through a sliding glass door while the homeowner was away and stole jewelry and the handgun.
“It’s never good when a stolen gun gets into the hands of criminals,” Dunn said.
And this month, someone broke into the home of one resident on Big Rock while the owner was there, but apparently fled when he heard the owner approaching, leaving behind a cell phone.
“That should help in finding the perpetrator,” Dunn said.
The detective acknowledged that the burglaries are “of great concern.”
“When financial times are hard, there is usually a spike in criminal activity,” Dunn said. “Even so, here in Malibu we’ve actually seen a downturn in reported incidents of late.”
Dunn credits this to vigilant homeowners associations who have been drilled by staff detective, Lt. John Benedict, on organization of neighborhood watches. The department has also assembled a “Burglary Suppression Team,” a task force of deputies who focus on property crime, crime patterns and in-depth knowledge of people in the Malibu area.
“These are some very talented guys who work very hard all the time and are successfully bringing down the number of reported incidents,” Dunn said.
Sgt. James Royal confirmed that arrests were up and property crimes were down since 2007.
“We’ve primarily targeted theft and vehicle break-ins and, since 2007, we’re seeing reported incidents down 30 percent in Malibu, with similar numbers in other cities and unincorporated areas we patrol,” Royal said.
“We always urge residents to be vigilant,” Dunn emphasized. “Never hesitate to immediately report anything you see that’s suspicious. Some people are hesitant to call in something they see because they think ‘Oh, I don’t want to bother the police since I didn’t really see any crime.’ But if there’s something that just doesn’t seem right, maybe a car where it shouldn’t be or activity that seems suspicious, call us.”
The Malibu Times was originally notified of the break-ins by an anonymous tipster and the events were confirmed by Detective Dunn this week.