Firearm thefts is one of three focus areas for police and Superintendent Darren Franks said, while there hadn’t been an increase in rates across the division, Bendigo and surrounds had one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the state.

“That makes us a target for gun thieves and even burglars who are not necessarily targeting guns when they go to a house,” he said.

“If they find a gun safe that’s easy to get into, they will take the guns, because then they’re sold onto other criminals.”

Police investigations are under way into two recent firearm thefts where a number of firearms were stolen from Maiden Gully and Strathfieldsaye. 

In Maiden Gully, the firearms were stolen from a locked gun safe that was ripped from the floor and wall inside a garage.

Superintendent Franks said the theft of firearms was not just a massive concern for Bendigo, but for the entire state.

“Unsecured firearms are one of the biggest areas feeding criminal entities with illegal guns,” he said.

Police across central Victoria will soon embark on a campaign encouraging people to secure firearms and possibly reconsider the need for them.

Superintendent Franks said it was not about advocating for people to not have guns, just for people to be smart about how they secure them.

“The reality is, the bulk of illegal firearms are long arms that have been cut down or modified, sawn-off shotguns and that sort of thing.”

Superintendent Franks said one recent example of unsecured firearms was during a police pursuit where the offenders, having crashed one car, stole another that had the keys left in it.

“The ute also had loaded long arm in the backseat so then it became too dangerous for us to chase anymore,” Superintendent Franks said. 

“So that’s where I need people to go, ‘You know what? Put the keys away to the ute and put my firearm in the gun safe and take the ammo out of it’.”

A three-month national firearms amnesty has been running across the country since July and Superintendent Franks said it would help with thefts.

“Any of those guns that people don’t want tend not to be locked away properly or if they are, they’re a firearm not being used and can potentially be stolen,” he said. 

Firearms cannot be taken to police stations but can dropped off at dealerships listed on the Victoria Police website.