Rushcliffe South includes Bingham, Radcliffe on Trent, Cotgrave, as well as 146 square miles of rural villages including East Bridgford, Cropwell Bishop, Keyworth, Tollerton, East Leake, Gotham, and local officers believe criminals are deliberately traveling to rural locations in an effort to find easier targets.
Sgt Zoe Hallam, who works at Bingham Police Station, said: “We are still seeing reductions in the level of vehicle crime in Rushcliffe South, with a 37% fall in the number of thefts from vehicles since 1 April 2008 to date.
“However, there was a significant increase in the number of offences being committed in rural areas at the start of the year. We moved quickly to identify and arrest the offenders, and those individuals are currently on police bail while investigations continue. “We have seen the number of thefts from vehicles fall as a result, but we are still carrying out increased patrols in areas which were targeted. We are also conducting a number operations to identify other offenders and the vehicles they are using to travel around the area.
“What we need local residents to remember is that following some simple crime prevention advice can dramatically reduce their risk of becoming a victim of car crime. “If you’ve got a garage, use it – your vehicle is usually worth a lot more than whatever else you might be keeping in it. If you haven’t got a garage but have got a drive, get your car off the street and park on the drive.
“If you’ve got an alarm or a steering lock, make sure you use it, and always take any valuables with you when you leave your vehicle. Don’t leave anything in your car. “If you’ve got a sat-nav, take it with you and remember to remove the holder. If you leave it in the car, the thieves may think there’s a sat-nav hidden in the vehicle. Even if there isn’t, they might still break in to check, which will mean you’ll end up facing the cost of replacing the window.
“They’ll even look for the ring mark left by the holder on the windscreen, so you’ll needs to rub this off as well before you leave the vehicle.” A number of vehicles have also been stolen following a recent spate of burglaries in the Keyworth, Neville and Wiverton areas, where offenders have taken car keys from the property and used them to steal a vehicle from the address.
Peter Ainley, crime reduction manager for Rushcliffe South, said: “Taking the car keys in a burglary has become an increasingly common method of stealing vehicles, as improvements in car security mean that newer vehicles cannot be driven away without ‘chipped’ ignition keys. “Make sure you take care to secure your property – thieves will always favour an open or insecure door or window – it’s the easy option – and insecure windows and doors play large part in car key break.
“To avoid becoming a victim of crime, make sure your windows and doors are locked and make use of security features like night locks on windows and door chains. Don’t leave your car keys in an obvious place – keep them somewhere secure and out of sight of an opportunist thief.”
Tags: Auto Theft Prevention, Car Security System, Car Thefts, gps tracking devices, Stolen cars, theft devices, vehicle tracking device