Officers are advising vehicle owners to hollow these tips to help protect their vehicles and valuables following a recent car theft:
- Don’t leave anything in your car – if it’s not there, then it can’t be stolen.
- Choose a stereo that can be removed and make sure you take it with you! You should also mark it with your registration number or postcode, in case it’s stolen.
- Thieves aren’t picky, so don’t leave even low-value items in your car. Often thieves will smash and grab first and look later to see if what they’ve stolen is valuable.
- Don’t hide it – if you hide items under the seat or in the glove box, chances are someone will have watched you. If you cannot avoid leaving something in your car, put it in your boot before you begin your journey.
- Don’t leave valuables in your car even for a minute – it only takes a thief a few seconds to smash a window and get what they want, so don’t take the chance.
- Your car isn’t safe to be left unlocked on your driveway – nearly half of all incidents where items are stolen from cars happen when they are parked overnight, close to the owner’s home.
- Don’t leave your house keys or anything with your address on it in your vehicle – someone could steal your keys and then let themselves into your home.