Vehicle Crime

Good Afternoon,

This week is our Op Alliance week, where we raise awareness about vehicle crime and provide crime prevention tips.

Car crime makes up a significant number of all recorded crimes across the United Kingdom. Car crime can be distressing and inconvenient, as you could be

without your car for a long period of time.

The majority of car crime occurs from criminals seeing opportunities and taking them. But you can easily outsmart the car thief by following the advice within this section.

TOP TIPS FOR CAR SECURITY

-DON’T LEAVE VALUABLES ON SHOW

It might sound obvious but leaving items on show is an invitation to the

opportunist criminal – mobile phones, satnavs and mounts, power leads,

money, wallets, handbags, sunglasses, coats, jackets and bags should

always be removed from the car or hidden well out of sight.

-HIDE KEYS & FOBS

Keys and ignition fobs should be kept safe and out of sight and reach.

A common way to steal a car is to take the keys or ignition fob, so never

leave them in the car, even if it is unattended for a moment. When at home

ensure that your keys or ignition fob are kept well away from windows or

doors so that they cannot be seen by a potential thief, and never leave them

close to the front door where they can be accessed through letterboxes.

-LOCK DOORS & CLOSE WINDOWS!

Always lock and close the windows of your car when you leave it unattended

– be this on the drive, the petrol station forecourt, when de-icing your car in

the winter or when getting a ticket to park. An unlocked car is the easiest

to steal or steal from.

-FIT AN ALARM

If your car is not fitted with a manufacturers’ fitted alarm and/or immobiliser,

consider installing an approved system. Most new cars come with an alarm

fitted, you can find out more from the Thatcham Research Centre:

www.thatcham.org

-INSTALL A TRACKER

Tracker systems can increase the recovery of your car if it is stolen. Many

systems activate once the car is stolen and track the car via GPS and other

systems. SBD have several members which specialise in this area and can

advise you on the best system and fitting of the product for your car type.

-USE PHYSICAL SECURITY

Consider using physical security such as a steering wheel lock, wheelclamp

or even a bollard or post on your drive to prevent removal of the car as modern

car thieves prefer not to attack these types of physical security devices as

they want to get away quickly without getting caught.

-SECURE YOUR NUMBER PLATES

Fit theft-resistant number plate fittings. Stolen number plates are commonly

used to hide the identity of stolen cars. Use one-way clutch head screws to

secure number plates.