News Item - News - Surrey Police

Police urge drivers to secure their vehicles

Submitted: 09/03/2010 14:54:04

Police urge drivers to secure their vehicles

Police in Reigate and Banstead are urging drivers to secure their vehicles and not leave property on display inside.

It follows a number of incidents since Tuesday (2, March) where vehicles were damaged and items including tools and money have been stolen from parked vehicles.

All the incidents have happened overnight between 2 March and Wednesday 3 March, with the majority occurring in the Tadworth area.

PC Helen Wicking from the Proactive Investigation Team, said: “A top priority for Surrey Police is tackling vehicle crime but it is vital that motorists play their part by securing their vehicles at all times.

“It is important to ensure that property is not left on display, even when vehicles are parked on personal drive ways or close to their owner’s homes. Simple measures such as removing valuable items and taking the boot cover off to show the vehicle is empty really can make a difference. Remember that vehicles which carry tools can be particularly tempting to the criminal, so don’t make life easy for them, and take tools with you whenever possible.

“Together we can crack vehicle crime and I want to send out a clear message to potential thieves that they are not welcome in Reigate and Banstead and we will be doing all we can to make life as difficult as possible for them.”

If you have any information regarding these recent incidents, or believe you have been a victim and not yet reported it, call Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222 and quote reference RB/10/1945.

Here are some top tips to avoid becoming a victim of opportunist thieves:

•Do not leave anything in your vehicle. The most commonly stolen items from cars include Sat Navs, laptops, handbags and mobile phones. They are easy to remove quickly, are easily concealed and do not look out of place if a thief is seen walking away from a car.

•Always take handbags and wallets with you. Even if your bag does not contain anything valuable, a thief will not know that, and may still break a window or force a lock to get at it.

•Consider leaving the backs seats of your vehicle down, or taking the boot cover off. This way a potential thief will have a clear view that it is empty and will not need to break in to find out.

Make sure doors of your vehicle are locked and the windows and sunroof are shut, no matter how hot the weather, or even if you are only going to be gone for a couple of minutes.

•Make sure your car is parked in a location where it is in clear view of other people, not obscured from sight by trees or shrubs, therefore making it vulnerable.

•Make sure you do not leave a coat or jacket behind in the car. A thief may think that it is hiding a laptop or handbag and break into your car to find out.

•Always remove your in-car radio/CD player if you can and also remove the suction pads which attach a Sat Nav system.

ENDS SW/87/10