Waking up at 4:30am to find almost $150,000 of Australian Coastal Safaris’ property stolen was not the ideal morning start for owner David Doudle. Business owners are thousands of dollars out of pocket after a series of thefts Eyre Peninsula police say opportunistic crime continues to rise Police recovered the tour operator’s vehicle and e-bikes stolen from Port Lincoln Port Lincoln police knocked on the door of his family home to let him know that his company’s LandCruiser was stolen and hooning around the streets of Port Lincoln.  His shed had been broken into, along with two others on Belair Drive, and three $16,000 electric bikes were also stolen. “I don’t like waking up too early at the best of times, never mind when the police are at the door,” he said. With two tours organised for the day ” one which required the stolen LandCruiser ” the day only got more stressful for Mr Doudle who was still trying to let the break-in sink in. Mr Doudle, who has worked as a tour operator for almost 20 years, was in disbelief. “I was pretty pissed off ” this is our business, we have clients from America here at the moment and they were supposed to be in that vehicle,” he said. “It’s incredibly frustrating, if I was to be polite.” Hours later, as a Crime Investigation Team investigated how the thieves broke into his shed, the now damaged LandCruiser and electric bikes were located. But Mr Doudle remains frustrated that the incident happened in the first place. Owner of Sand Dune Surf Company, Michael Paech, said the opening date of his new shop will now have to be pushed back. ( Eyre Peninsula: Bernadette Clarke ) Setback for local surf company As for Michael Paech, the owner of Sandune Surf Company, thousands of dollars of his merchandise have still not been recovered. He was set to open his shopfront doors for the first time next month, but now that will not be possible. “Some of the racks were emptied. An old-school camera was stolen. I walked into my office and crap was thrown around everywhere, it was ransacked,” he said. “It’s pretty disappointing when you’ve worked so hard towards something and, even then, I put a lot love and time into my products.” Sand Dune Surf Company was close to opening to the public before its merchandise got stripped. ( Eyre Peninsula: Bernadette Clarke ) Despite the major setback, he did have a laugh. “On one side of the coin it’s nice they looked at it and thought it was good enough to steal,” he said. But the reality of the situation for the Port Lincoln community is not funny, as not only financially but creatively it’s been a big hit for Mr Paech. “I do more exclusive-type runs, so some of those designs I may not do again,” he said. “The fact that they didn’t even get the chance for the public to see them is pretty disappointing.” SAPOL’s Crime Scene Investigation attended the scene. ( Eyre Peninsula: Bernadette Clarke ) Back to pre-COVID crime levels Superintendent Paul Bahr from the Eyre Peninsula Police said after a fall in crime during COVID-19, rates have now increased on par with 2019 statistics. “Being anecdotal, there has been an uptick in the early part of January. But I think that’s seasonal,” he said. Superintendent Bahr said SA Police had been active in trying to engage the community in taking the right steps to keep their properties secure. “Most of the crime we see, especially in Port Lincoln and the lower Eyre Peninsula area, is pretty unsophisticated and is very much crime of opportunity,” he said. While it has not been determined whether the break-in on Belair Drive is considered organised crime or not, Mr Bahr said most crime in Port Lincoln and surrounds is opportunistic. “The frustrating thing for us in SAPOL is still the number of people who aren’t hearing the message in terms of securing their property ” that includes houses, ensuring your doors and windows are locked,” he said. “The vast majority of theft from vehicles occurs when vehicles are left unlocked.” Find more local news Browse for your location and find more local and information