Don’t tempt thieves…. don’t leave valuables in your
car
14/11/2011
A mobile phone or a few pounds left in your
car could be more than enough to tempt an opportunist thief to
target your vehicle.
Now, with the Festive season almost on our
doorstep North Wales Police is taking the opportunity to remind
motorists of all ages to ensure that they not only leave their
vehicles secure but they don’t leave valuable items on show
inside.
“On average, every week the force receives
around 36* reports of theft from vehicles,” said PC Hazel Goss MBE,
who is based in Mold and covers the Flintshire and Wrexham areas.
“Much work is done by officers across the six counties to tackle
the issue however when a would-be thief sees a briefcase or a
laptop left in the back of a car it can prove to be too much of a
temptation for them to walk on by.”
“Private cars as well as work vehicles are
targeted by offenders who will take anything that is of value.
Satellite navigation systems, tools, laptops and anything left on
seats or in visible locations such as handbags, briefcases, mobile
phones and of course cash has been taken.”
Along with simple steps of removing
valuable items from vehicles, a number of other measures can be
taken by motorists to try and avoid becoming a victim of crime such
as ensuring they park their vehicle in secure locations.
PC Goss added: “If you are out shopping or
have to travel to a large town or city to work, look to use a car
park that has been given an award for safe parking under the ‘Park
Mark’ scheme. We have a number in North Wales. The owners of the
car parks have to register for the award and a police assessor
visits the location to establish if the car park is suitable for
accreditation by considering a number of elements such as its
design, whether security measures have been taken into
consideration, if the car park is well lit and well marked
out.”
The Park Mark car parks can be found by
accessing the official website: www.parkmark.co.uk
“If you can’t find a Park Mark accredited car
park, the key is to use a car park that is busy, well lit and close
to amenities,” added PC Goss.
Work is continuing across the force area to
highlight the crime and a number of initiatives are also being
undertaken to help reduce theft from vehicles.
“One such initiative is the A55 crime group
which sees us work with businesses and hotels that are on the route
or near the carriageway that leads into North Wales from
Flintshire,” explained PC Goss. “Residents who stay at a hotel in
the group are given crime prevention information leaflets but they
are also encouraged to deposit any valuable tools or items they may
have in their works vehicles in a secure store room which has been
set aside specifically by the hotel for valuable property.”
Property marking is yet another important
measure that should be undertaken by everyone and is simple. There
is a number of property marking items available on the market
including forensic marking sets such as ‘Smartwater’ and
‘SelectaDNA’.
When marking items ensure that you use your
household name or number followed by your postcode. Electrical
items such as laptops/ computers, with MP3 players and mobile
phones can all be marked up.
PC Goss added: “Marking your property can also
prove an effective deterrent to would-be thieves and if your
property is clearly identified it will be more difficult for
burglars or thieves to sell on the item. Another advantage is that
should you become a victim of crime or should you lose the item you
increase the chance of having the property returned to you.”
In a bid to further reduce theft from
vehicles, we are issuing comprehensive Vehicle
Security advice in our Advice and Support section
*Figures are the average number of weekly
recorded offences for the 2009/2010 and 2010/11 fiscal years”.