Theft from Vehicles - Crewe & Nantwich

Please be aware that there continues to be a number of incidents of theft from vehicle across the Crewe & Nantwich area. There are no specific wards being targeted with the majority of wards having an incident over the period.

The majority of vehicles are being targeted for two main reasons:

1.) Insecure Vehicles - Unfortunately, in some cases people are forgetting to lock their vehicles either overnight or when they are leaving them unsupervised during the day. Similar to sneak in burglaries in dwellings, it is a shame when people have security measures such as locks and alarms that aren't being utilised. It is also worth remembering that it can be more complicated to get an insurance payout if a vehicle has been left unlocked. It is extremely easy to forget to lock a vehicle so please urge members to try and take an extra half a minute every time they leave their vehicle to double check that they have locked their vehicle.

2.) Items Left On Show - In a number of incidents access to vehicles is being gained to take items that are being left on show when the vehicle is unoccupied. The most common form of entry in these cases (if the vehicle is secure) is to smash a window and grab the item in question. Please remember to check that items are not left on show in your vehicle. This includes items such as satellite navigation systems, mobile phones, lap tops and electronics. However, please remember that it can include more obscure items such as coats, rucksacks, handfuls of coinage, plastic bags, sunglasses. It is also worth being mindful that you may be leaving items on show that you know are not appealing to a thief but these may be in a rucksack or wrapped in a carrier bag (such as dirty gym kit, your used lunchbox etc). A thief will not know what is in a bag and may well take the chance to break into your vehicle to see. It is therefore best to be ultra safe and remove anything that might be appealing / tempting to an opportunist thief out of sight when exiting the vehicle.

The above reminders are particularly important in the run up to Christmas. Many of us may be dropping shopping bags back to our vehicles and it would be devastating for newly bought presents to be taken because you accidentally leave your vehicle unlocked or the items are left on show. If you are taking items back to the car, be mindful of who is observing you when you put them in your car, try and park on a safer park mark accredited car park and ensure they are locked out of sight. The same applies when doing present drops around family and friends. If you have several households to visit and are popping in for a chat / drink as you go around make sure the presents not for that household are locked securely out of sight.