I spent a very cold afternoon as part of the Howdenshire Neighbourhood Action Team's 'Don't Advertise Your Vehicle to Criminals' campaign - urging motorists not to leave gifts for opportunistic thieves.Pictured with PCSO Rachel Matthews, Howden Town Council Chairman Hugh Roberts, and Martin Branton from the East Riding Safer Communities Team.
"Shopping on the back seat of a car is the only excuse needed for thieves to take a chance and break a window; other items most likely to tempt thieves include handbags, laptops, Sat Navs, mobile phones and cds. Drivers should also bear in mind that often the window repair costs more than the property stolen."
PC Richard Beeforth, crime reduction officer for Humberside Police, said: “These offences are being committed by opportunist thieves wandering about looking into cars for items to steal. Our advice is don’t leave anything on display to tempt a criminal to break into your vehicle.”
The East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s 15 Neighbourhood Action Teams (NATs) including volunteers and the police are working to spread the message.
Packs placed on vehicles tell thieves "Don't Bother" and leaflets are being left at points of sale such as local shops, customer service centres, libraries and post offices.
The Police advice to motorists is:
- Remove the ignition key and lock all doors and windows when leaving a vehicle, even when filling up with fuel or popping into a shop.
- Use an electronic engine immobiliser or steering wheel lock to prevent vehicles being stolen.
- Park vehicles in a well lit open place.
- If driving a van remove expensive tools and equipment from the rear, especially overnight.
- When parking in a car park look for the “Park Mark Safer Parking” .
2 comments:
I still prefer the MAGNAVOLT as advertised in the film ROBOCOP.
The scroats only get caught once!
Of course a TRUNKMONKEY is similarly effective.
Some years ago now but my estate car was broken into, the tailgate was completely ruined with a huge hole made where the lock had been forced and then they smashed the window too. The repair cost my insurance £890 and I had to pay £200 in excess charges. The thieves got away with an empty cardboard box and a dustsheet! Why? Because I had unwittingly parked close to a wholesale tobacconist and the perpetrators presumed the cardboard box contained cigarettes’. So my lesson is to make sure it doesn’t even look like it may be valuable because even an empty box looks tempting to a desperado. Every incident of this kind of course pushes up the average insurance premium and the inconvenience of having your vehicle of the road is immeasurable.
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