Residential burglaries have fallen across Victoria over the past five years, but a swath of growth suburbs in Melbourne's north and outer-west continue to be prime targets for thieves.

Exclusive data obtained from Victoria Police reveals Williams Landing, Ardeer and Heidelberg West hold the unwelcome mantle of suburbs with Melbourne's highest burglary rates, with about one in thirty homes being hit in each last year.

Illustration: Matt Golding.

And in terms of total break-ins, Hoppers Crossing is Melbourne's most burgled suburb, with about 12 homes being hit every week.

The suburb sits in the midst of a nexus of working-class suburbs that top the list for property crime in the city after Werribee, Deer Park and St Albans all recorded more than 2000 burglaries each in the past five years.