Vehicle crime in Melbourne, reported plainly.
Ram raids, driveway car thefts, yard break-ins and cars through shopfronts, written up from public reports across Melbourne, with notes on what actually stops a vehicle and where bollards do and don't help.
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2026 made the ram raid ordinary. Our shopfronts haven't caught up.
Kaab Surah on a year when vehicles were driven into shops, factories and homes across Melbourne, and why businesses keep waiting until after the first hit to act.
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Bolt cutters and a LandCruiser: the Essendon Fields cool room theft
At least three offenders used bolt cutters on a locked cool room at Essendon Fields and loaded about $20,000 of meat into a LandCruiser. What it shows about back-of-house and storage security.
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Tarneit ram raid: a stolen RAV4 through a shopping centre entrance and into a jeweller
Police say a stolen RAV4 was driven through the entrance of a Tarneit shopping centre and rammed into a jewellery store. Why a centre needs two lines of defence, and who is responsible for each.
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A rammed gate in Brighton and a month of driveway car fires
A Brighton gate was rammed before accelerant was poured down the driveway and two cars were torched, after a run of driveway car fires across Melbourne. An honest look at what barriers can and can't do.
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They came for the keys: Hampton Park, Balwyn North and Brighton East in 2026
Three cases from 2026, from Hampton Park to Brighton East, where police say offenders broke into homes for the car keys. What the pattern means, and what still protects a car once the keys are gone.
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After the Westfield Knox crash: protecting people who sit and walk beside traffic
A 27-year-old woman died after a car hit her on a crossing at Westfield Knox and veered into a restaurant. What the tragedy shows about outdoor dining and walkways that sit beside traffic.
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The tractor was already there: Bundoora Park Farm and plant used as a battering ram
A group on e-bikes broke into sheds at Bundoora Park Farm, took a tractor and rammed the cafe's front doors. Why machinery already on site so often becomes the battering ram.
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Richmond's Victoria Street fire: how one ram raid reached ten businesses
A car was rammed into a Victoria Street tobacco store and set alight, and the fire reached about ten businesses. What it means for neighbouring traders, landlords and their insurance.
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Don't stand in front of it: two August car thefts that turned on the driveway
A Heidelberg West man was critically injured trying to stop his car being stolen; a Bentleigh woman was confronted at knifepoint as she arrived home. What both cases say about the driveway as the danger point.
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Five questions to ask before anyone drills your driveway
A driveway bollard is a hole in your concrete you'll live with for years. Kaab Surah and Eamann Shubber on the five questions to ask before the drill starts.
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Angle grinder, tow truck, hire plant: the Laverton North yard theft
Police allege two men cut open a Laverton North gate overnight and left with hire plant on a stolen tow truck, tracked by the Air Wing. Why equipment yards are targets and what slows thieves down.
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Reverse, ram, light: the tobacconist attacks in Mentone and Melton
A cigarette shop on a Mentone strip was rammed and gutted in June. In September a ute was reversed into a Melton tobacconist before a fireball engulfed two men. What the method means for the shops next door.
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Bell Street crash sends an SUV through a Pascoe Vale South bedroom wall
An SUV crashed through the bedroom wall of a Pascoe Vale South home after a collision on Bell Street. What living beside an arterial road means, and who is responsible for what.
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Campbellfield: a car drove into an open warehouse at 5pm on a Friday
Police say a man drove a car with stolen plates into a Campbellfield warehouse at 5pm and started loading copper until an employee came over. What the open-door risk means for working sites.
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Rammed, then doused: what happened at a Prahran bar and a Tullamarine kebab shop
On 4 May a car was rammed into the entrance of Prahran's Electric Bar, and a car was driven through a Tullamarine kebab shop before a fire was lit. Why the vehicle comes first.
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A stolen Lamborghini, a 15-hour drive and a Glen Waverley front fence
A Lamborghini taken in a Maribyrnong break-in was driven across Melbourne for hours before crashing into a Glen Waverley front fence. What stolen-car crashes mean for homes near busy roads.
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The cheap bollard is the expensive one
Eamann Shubber on why a bollard is only as strong as its footing, its steel and its lock, and what to compare when quotes come in at very different prices.
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Reversed into the building: three attacks on Melbourne workshops and factories
Between March and May, offenders used vehicles to break into a workshop in Heidelberg West, a car repair shop in Hallam and a converted factory in Spotswood. Here's what the pattern means for industrial sites.
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One stolen Kluger, three stores: what held in Altona North
Police allege a single stolen Toyota linked three store raids across Melbourne in one afternoon. At Altona North the car was reversed into a roller door, and the door held.
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Two Porsches and a Maserati in one night: the Canterbury and Cranbourne car thefts
Police allege an overnight run of home burglaries across Canterbury and Cranbourne to take keys and drive off in luxury cars. What the timeline says about driveway security.
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Copper, cable and $1 million of drilling gear: 2026's run on Melbourne yards and sites
Victoria Police reported a string of copper and equipment thefts from yards, depots and building sites in 2026. The common thread: heavy loot needs a vehicle, and a vehicle needs a way in.
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Glen Waverley bakery crash: why shopfronts keep getting hit by accident
A car went into the front of Kerrie Road Bakery and narrowly missed customers. Why accidental shopfront crashes are so common, and what actually stops them.
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Melbourne car theft in 2026: what the numbers mean for your driveway
Record car theft in 2025, a modest fall by June 2026. What the Crime Statistics Agency figures mean for cars parked on Melbourne driveways.
Incident articles summarise what news outlets and Victoria Police reported at the time, with links to every source. They are not legal or insurance advice. Spotted an error? Email enquiries@keybollards.com.