Frosty Morning Warning

Hello Resident

Frosty Nights and Cold Mornings

Social Media messaging:

⚠️ FROSTY MORNING WARNING ⚠️

Cold weather is forecast for this weekend.

Do not leave your car unattended while it defrosts. It only takes a few seconds for someone to jump in and drive away.

Leave extra time to defrost your car before making your morning journey 🚗

⚠️ FROSTY MORNING WARNING ⚠️

Don't make your car cosy for criminals.

Every winter, cars are stolen from driveways. Thieves are looking for

unattended vehicles with keys in the ignition.

Stay with your vehicle whilst your windscreen defrosts #frostymorning

⚠️ FROSTY MORNING WARNING ⚠️

Left the engine running while the car defrosts? Popped back inside to keep warm? Thieves are targeting lonely vehicles defrosting on driveways.

🚗Stay close to your car

❄️Purchase de-icer for quicker defrosting

🔑Keep keys and valuables close

WM Now Message (send out Friday or Saturday)

⚠️ FROSTY MORNING WARNING ⚠️

Cold weather and ice are forecast for this weekend. You may need to defrost your vehicle in the morning.

Every winter, cars and vans are stolen from driveways. Thieves are looking for

unattended vehicles with keys in the ignition. It takes seconds to steal a vehicle but there are things you can do to prevent this.

1. Wrap up warm and stay with your vehicle whilst it defrosts

2. Buy de-icer or a windscreen scraper to help your vehicle defrost quicker

3. Keep your keys and valuables close

4. Warn your neighbours not to leave their vehicles unattended

Our officers are out on patrol in your neighbourhood looking out for car thieves. Check out our local social media channels to see what we’re up to.

For more information about how to protect your vehicle, visit https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/campaigns/darker-nights/robbery-theft

Report crime, get prevention advice, and see the latest news on our website http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/

You can get in touch with us via Live Chat at west-midlands.police.uk, via 101, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 warning following spike in car thefts

A frosty reception for opportunist car thieves

For the last couple of mornings we’ve all woken up to cold mornings – and cars that need defrosting.

Please remember it’s really important you don’t leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running – even though it might feel tempting.

Over the last couple of days we’ve seen an increase in vehicles being stolen as they were defrosting or had been left to warm up.

Criminals can take the opportunity to steal high value vehicles in this way as normally their advanced security technology makes it difficult.

We know sometimes people think they’re being security conscious by locking the door of the car with a spare set of keys, while leaving the other set in the ignition. However, thieves can still smash a window in order to drive away in your vehicle.

As the colder mornings have only just arrived, and we’ll be expecting more over the coming months we want drivers to get into a good habit of keeping their vehicle as secure as possible.

No matter how late you are running you should never leave your vehicle running as you to nip inside the house to collect your bag or drink a last sip of coffee.

We know this happens. And opportunist criminals know this happens.

Car insurance policies are often invalid when cars are stolen in this way - the owner is deemed to have been responsible for the theft. You could be left out of pocket as well as without a car.

It only takes a few seconds for someone to jump in and drive away. Our advice is always to stay with your car as it defrosts and use de-icer spray or a scraper to speed up the process. You could also sit inside your vehicle while the heater de-mists the windscreen.

Please share our message with friends and family. Thank you.