Several homes were hit by thieves in Oxley Vale, North and South Tamworth on the weekend, as well as Gunnedah.

Cars, keys, wallets, credit and bank cards and phones have been the goods that have been reported stolen, with police recovering some stolen cars. There was at least one still outstanding on Monday, police confirmed.

"We would just urge community members to lock up and secure their premises, cars and valuables, and be vigilant for suspicious activity," Oxley Detective Inspector Jason Darcy said.

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"We have had reports of young people running around at night, through streets, and into the early hours of the morning and we need the public to report that so we can track these people to ensure no one else falls victim."

He said in some cases, the thieves had gone straight to nearby service stations with the stolen wallets and bank cards to use them almost immediately.

"In some cases, these offenders have used stolen credit cards to purchase goods, and they have been wearing hooded jumpers and hats to disguise themselves from CCTV, and we just make a public appeal for those outlets to make them remove those disguises so that we can try and identify who is responsible," Detective Darcy said.

"And, please ring police if you see people or suspicious vehicles in the street; call us and we can come and check it out."

Anyone with information on the recent spike in thefts, or who noticed suspicious activity is urged to contact Oxley police on 6768 2999.

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