AN outbreak of car crimes in Warrington have resulted in a plea for help from police.
Officers in the Great Sankey and Penketh areas of the borough want motorists to join them in tracking down the culprits – by taking more anti-theft precautions.
In recent weeks, the western parts of Warrington have seen a sharp increase in the number of thefts from vehicles.
In the latest – yesterday (Monday) three cars were targeted in the early hours of the morning in the Great Sankey and Penketh area.
One car had been left insecure and the thieves snatched a number of valuable items
A mobile phone, a wallet, which was hidden in a glove box, a sports bag, a sat nav and cash were stolen from inside the vehicles.
These latest incidents follow on from a number of other thefts from vehicles across the Warrington West area over the past few weeks.
Police are actively targeting those responsible but appeal for motorists to be on their guard and to take steps to reduce the chances of them falling foul of opportunist thieves.
Drivers are being urged to secure vehicles, even if left for only a few second, set alarms or steering locks, remove valuable items and hide sat navs – even wiping the tell-tale signs from the windscreen.
Important information about the car, serial numbers of valuable property, etc, should be recorded.
Any suspicious activity should be reported to police immediately.
PCSO Darren Samuel said: “We are urging drivers to remain security conscious at all times. We cannot stress how important it is to ensure your vehicle is locked and secure when it is unattended – even for a few seconds. Thieves have been known to simply try car doors looking for those that are not locked rather than having to force entry.
“Officers are doing all they can to reduce the number of thefts from vehicles in the area – but we need the continued support of motorists to help drive down this type of crime. By assessing you current security measures and taking a few simple steps you can significantly reduce the chances of your vehicle being targeted.”
Police warning after crime spree
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
4 Comments
I once had my car broken into and a few silly things taken by a baghead who lived in Bewsey. I got him on CCTV and he was caught and convicted….he admitted theft and damage to vehicles totalling over £30,000.00 and was given a 6 month suspended sentence once the bleeding heart defence lawyer had had his say……… that was a good few years ago during the “soft on crime, tough on the victims of crime” era of the last government….. nothing much will have changed.
We had an idiot a few years back who kept scratching cars on our road and breaking wing morrors off etc etc over a period of a few months. He was finallly caught (quite literally) by a resident and was arrested and convicted. He was ordered to pay £1 per week in compensation for the damage he had caused to some vehicles as he didn’t work. Madness as he caused thousands of pounds worth of damage overall and people had to claim through their insurance for repairs of pay out of their own pockets. Going back to the news article though… WHEN are people going to learn not to leave their cars unlocked or valuables inside or on show, it’s just asking for trouble. It must be really frustrating for the police too !
I find it quite hard to believe that people who leave their cars parked on driveways or public roads during the night leave mobile phones, Wallets, and significant amounts of Cash “hidden” in their Glove Boxes….???
They are incredibly stupid or just as crooked as the criminals….
Oh excuse me…. I better check on my car I may have left my golf clubs, laptop, and Flat screen TV on the back seat of my Car….!!! oh dear they’ve gone where do i claim..???
Dizzy, If I had been the one catching the bloke who broke into my car, I would have smashed his baghead through the windscreen…… I would do the time for assault just to have the satisfaction of actually giving the crook the hiding he so rightly deserves; but would not get in the namby pamby world of UK justice!