Dog alerts residents after machete-wielding men break into home

A family have been left shaken after two machete-wielding men broke into their home in Melbourne's inner suburbs.

Police said the men entered the home through an unlocked door in Brighton about 7.30am.

Five people were home at the time, including Annabel Thomson and Todd Blasse, who were confronted with the "two armed men dressed in all black" holding machetes after they heard their dog, Austin, barking loudly.

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Blasse said he confronted the men while Thomson called police.

"Austin was going crazy barking at the them. I started approaching them and they bolted out the door and Austin and I followed them out and they were gone," he said.

The offenders fled the address in a dark blue Subaru, police say.

Blasse said it was a scary experience.

"It's crazy at that time. It's a strange time to do this, it's just dramatic and I can't believe this is happening."

"They had two machetes in their hands about 50cm in length."

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In 2022, criminal incidents jumped 12.9 per cent in the Bayside council area.

Brighton topped the list with 954 incidents, including 169 burglaries.

Thomson believe crime was increasing at a "scary" rate across the suburb.

"It's pretty crazy. We just woke up, in broad daylight, that this happened," she said.

"It's getting a lot worse, and it seems like people are having very similar experiences, you hear it nearly every day that someone's car has been stolen."

9News understands the same group may have targeted two other homes in Malvern East overnight.

In one instance, the intruders wielding machetes stormed a home with young children inside and took off with two cars.

Police say they are actively patrolling the area after a series of similar burglaries and say the investigation remains ongoing.

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