Police Warning Of Increase In Thefts From Cars

Thieves have been focusing on Chiswick recently

Police have warned people to take valuables out of cars in the Chiswick area following a spate of break-ins into vehicles.

This has been a persistent problem in Chiswick over the past few years and shows no sign of abating.

The police say: "Unfortunately, thieves are operating in the Chiswick area are helping themselves to valuables left in vehicles.

"Please remove loose change, phones, laptops etc before you lock up and go!"

A Freedom of Information investigation has revealed that nearly 240,000 cars were broken into across the UK in 2016 – a rise of four percent compared to a year earlier.

The data, obtained from 42 police forces by RAC Insurance, reveals that the City of London saw the biggest boom in break-ins, with motorists reporting a jump of 76 percent from 46 to 81.

“It is very worrying to see that more than half of British police forces have witnessed a rise in this type of crime from 2015 to 2016,” said RAC Insurance’s director Mark Godfrey.

“Breaking into cars to steal things causes motorists no end of headaches. Not only do they lose and have to try to replace their valued possessions, most will have to make an insurance claim to get their car repaired. While this can be a time-consuming and stressful process in itself, its effects will unfortunately be felt for years to come with increased annual premiums and having to declare the claim for three years whenever arranging a new car insurance policy.”

The RAC says that many car break-ins are opportunistic, with criminals on the look-out for items they can sell on quickly and easily. Many drivers are becoming complacent, says the organisation’s insurance firm, thinking nothing of leaving items like satnavs on display.

April 10, 2018