Oxhill News

www.oxhill.com / www.oxhill.org.uk

South Warwickshire, England.

The Oxhill News

February 2011

This months News

Contents

 

High Value Car Thefts

Police in Warwickshire have launched a high profile ANPR operation aimed at disrupting the activity of travelling criminals attempting to steal high value cars off driveways and car parks in Warwickshire.

In the last week, officers have noticed a slight increase in car key burglaries and officers are working closely with neighbouring police forces and increasing patrols at key locations throughout the county to disrupt the activity of would-be car thieves.

David Whitehouse, Head of Community Protection said “The stolen cars may be used to commit further crimes so it is extremely important that we work closely with the public now to help reduce further thefts.

“If you own a high value or high performance car such as an Audi, BMW or Subaru, please review your home security, consider fitting tracking devices and lock the car away in a garage when not in use.  Most importantly, please do not put yourself in danger when confronted by car thieves.

“We have visited the owners of forty Audi RS4's to offer crime prevention advice and support.  However it's not just Audis that are being targeted and information packs are available for anyone who is concerned."

Over the years motor vehicle manufacturers have made security a priority and now thieves are finding it harder to steal such vehicles in the conventional ways.  With improved locking devices and sophisticated alarm systems the car keys have become as valuable as the vehicles.

Although Warwickshire remains a low crime area we are keen to work with car owners to reduce the chance of them becoming a victim. There are a number of ways that the thief will try and obtain the keys to the vehicle. A car key burglary is one of those ways.

Car Key Burglaries

This is where the house is broken into in order to steal the keys. Entry to the house can be as a result of following the driver into the house and grabbing the keys from the table, work surface etc. It may be that the keys are left on open display near a window or door, and so the window or door is forced to gain entry, quite often keys are fished out via the letter box from the hall table etc. In exceptional circumstances forced entry has been gained to the house and violence or threats of violence has been offered to the victim in order to obtain the keys. In some cases more than one vehicle has been stolen in the offence.

Reducing the risk

·         If you have a garage, always make sure the car is parked in it overnight.

·         Consider installing a home security system or updating your existing one. You’ve made a huge investment in your car you need to protect it.

·         Consider access control to your driveway if appropriate.

·         Invest in a tracking device so if your car is stolen it stands a better chance of being traced, and the offender(s) being prosecuted.

·         When at home at night make sure car keys are not in view. However we do not advise keeping them in the bedroom. It’s more important that you do not put yourself at risk.

·         Vary your routes home, thieves will follow vehicles some distances to locate the home address.

·         Be alert when you are outside - consider who is around you and where your keys are.

·         Don’t have your keys on view when going to the bank or paying for petrol especially if your key fob advertises the make of your car.

Car-jacking

Car-jacking has become a high profile crime over recent years and is another way of taking your vehicle.

Warwickshire Police are working with surrounding Forces to increase patrols in vulnerable areas at key times and monitoring arterial routes. Officers are deployed both overtly and covertly to target car thieves.

If you would like further advice on security then please contact the Community Protection Department at Leamington Spa on 01926 684036 or go to the Warwickshire Police Web Site:

www.warwickshire.police.uk

Russell Brian, Warwickshire Police

This site is maintained by villagers of Oxhill for the benefit of the community and those interested in the history, news and activities that make the village such a pleasant place to live.

Send mail to the editor of the Oxhill News at news-editor @ oxhill.org.uk.

©2011 Oxhill Village (Terms and Conditions of use)

Last modified: February 06, 2011