One of the country’s top police officers has warned motorists to take the threat of thieves more seriously.

Chief Supt Shaun Morley, commander of Oxfordshire Police, urged motorists to do more to combat thieves after a spate of thefts from cars in Oxford this week.

Ten cars were broken into inside an 18 hour period in Oxford – with thieves escaping with four sat-navs, two laptops and a mobile phone.

Four of the cars which were broken into between 9.30am on Tuesday and 2.30am on Wednesday were left unlocked.

Mr Morley said: “Motorists need to do more to stop themselves becoming victims of crime.”

Valuable items such as sat-nav systems, lap tops, tools, mobile phones and MP3 players are still being left in vehicles despite repeated calls by officers for them to be removed when cars are unattended. Chief Supt Morley added.

A spokesman for Sureterm Direct, the country’s leading specialist car insurers, welcomed Mr Morley’s comments today. Sue Hessom, General Manager, said: “Having a car broken into can be a very frightening experience and all motorists should do everything in their power to minimise the risk.

“It is not just the cost of the items that are stolen that should be considered. Having a no claims bonus wiped out because you left something unattended on a back seat can have a significant impact on the cost of your next policy – even though at Sureterm Direct we always try incredibly hard to find the very best car insurance deas for our customers.”

Chief Supt Morley urged motorists to take responsibility for their own property.

“When vehicles are left unlocked or property such as satellite navigation or computer equipment is left in cars, they are easy pickings for the thief, with little risk,” he said.

“Whether you are leaving your vehicle for just a minute, on the petrol station forecourt, or parking it up overnight, think about what you are leaving on show for the opportunist thief.”

To find the best car insurance deals visit www.suretermdirect.com or call 0845 20 20 230.

Trackback URI |