DEARBORN —Thieves are known for their unpredictable behavior, but what happened roughly three weeks ago on a beautiful Dearborn afternoon in mid-August was about as surprising as it gets.

A woman in her mid-50s had begun walking home from a produce market with two bags of groceries near Wyoming and Warren in Dearborn when a van pulled up next to her. Two men hopped out and pushed her to the ground, stealing not only her purse but also her groceries before taking off and leaving her scared and bruised.

The incident has become part of a trend in Dearborn as property crimes are up 18% for the year according to Dearborn Police Chief Ron Haddad.

Some thieves have set their sights on women walking back and forth from local stores according to American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Chamber Regional Director Imad Hamad.

“I’ve been in the area for 15 years and I’d never heard anything like that but we’ve heard of three to four incidents now within two months,” he said. “The obvious economic crisis may be the cause of the more unfortunate alarming incidents and people should maybe not walk alone when possible.”

Haddad agreed that the crimes appear to be economically motivated in light of local layoffs and targets include everything from items in open garages and unlocked cars to foreclosed homes.

“I’ve been chief since December 15 of last year and crime is down overall, but property crime is up and we’re not going to take it laying down,” said Haddad. “We want citizens to do all they can to harden their targets.”

Haddad has said that residents shouldn’t expect criminals to fall into any one category and should be vigilant at all times and not be hesitant to call if someone looks suspicious.

“I went to a citizen’s academy yesterday and I told them, you can’t look by anybody for crime, whether they’re from Pontiac, Lake Orion, Detroit, or Dearborn residents,” he said after being asked how much of an effect Detroit’s staggering 28.9% unemployment rate seemed to have on the statistics.

“There’s no one common denominator at this time. We don’t look by any characteristic whether it’s age or race or sex; it’s really uncanny how diverse the criminal element appears to be.”

Haddad said that teams of criminals appear to be targeting different neighborhoods, but once they are apprehended, crime tends to go down in that area.

Foreclosed houses are being watched as are homes that are unfilled due to residents’ vacations, which police are informed about by residents who call ahead to let the Dearborn Police know to patrol that area.

Haddad added that many property crimes have occurred when residents have left back windows open or keys in supposedly hidden spots that robbers have discovered. He’s found that most home invasions happen when people are on vacation or at work during daytime hours and most cars are stolen at night, often from home driveways. Many property crimes are preventable with the right preparation.

“Extra safety is paramount, for example unlocked cars account for 50% of those stolen and 28% of them had the keys in the ignition. It’s also never a good idea to leave computers or a GPS in plain view because there’s a pretty good chance that if somebody wants it, they can get it.”

While the property crime trends are disturbing and might continue if the economy continues to lag, Haddad stressed the importance of helping the police do their jobs as much as possible.

“If something looks suspicious or you see a strange person or vehicle, call us, we encourage a person to call us, that’s what we’re here for,” he said.

The Dearborn Police emergency line is 313.943.2245.