Brazen burglar's haul estimated at $15m

Police are searching for a burglar who has allegedly stolen millions of dollars worth of property from houses in Melbourne's east.

It is believed the same thief has been robbing homes in Kew, Balwyn North and Canterbury since 2007.

They believe the man has stolen about $15 million worth of jewellery, cash and electrical items.

Police say the man disables alarms, security lights and cameras, before scaling walls to gain access to the houses.

He has also broken into safes.

Detective Senior Constable Attila Kovacs says police were lucky to catch a glimpse of the daring thief.

" He takes a significant risk going into these homes that have high fences, they have good security systems. He's very brazen, but on this occasion that risk hasn't paid off for him as he was caught on film," he said.

Detective Senior Constable Kovacs says police now have CCTV footage of the man in action, from a bungled break-in in February.

"The offender has tried to disturb the camera, turn it away from where he was, in doing so, that camera has broken off its mountings, swung around, and actually captured an image of him," he said.

"Fortunately for us, the image is of good quality. That image has been circulated today and we're seeking the assistance of the public to help us identify that offender."