Perth police are hunting thieves who callously targeted cars parked at cemeteries across the metropolitan area over the last four months.
Since January, there have been 70 car thefts or break-ins of vehicles parked at cemeteries, with 46 at Karrakatta, 15 at Fremantle, four at Guilford and five at Pinnaroo.
On Saturday, a 71-year-old woman had her car stolen as she was placing flowers on the grave of her mother at Karrakatta Cemetery.
Police say the stolen car was later driven to Guildford Cemetery where the thieves stole items from other vehicles.
"All of these stealing offences have a significant emotional impact on victims who are all attending the cemetery under emotional circumstances," detective senior sergeant Darryl Cox said.
"In a lot of these cases it is not the value of the property stolen that is a concern to the victim. It is the shock and disgust that victims have, knowing that someone has stolen their property whilst they are at a funeral.
"Perth detectives are working with the WA Cemeteries Board and are conducting a targeted operation in an effort to identify those persons responsible."
Police were planning to beef up their patrols around cemeteries and will also scour through forensic evidence gathered at crime scenes.
"WA Police would also like to remind the public of the need to be vigilant when leaving their vehicles unattended and ensure the vehicles are secure and all valuables have been removed," Mr Cox said.
