Police warning as more vehicles stolen in Southport

Police are investigating a new spate of car thefts in the Southport area. Thieves are targeting keyless ignition cars in particular.

A Land Rover Discovery was stolen from Ainsdale on the evening of Sunday 27th November and a Range Rover Evoque was stolen the same night from an address in Formby.

At approximately 03:00am on Tuesday 29th November, thieves attempted to steal a Ford Fiesta in Birkdale, but were disturbed in the process. Another Ford Fiesta was stolen in Marshside at 4:00pm later the same day. That Ford Fiesta has since been found elsewhere in Southport, by Southport Local Policing Team officers.

As can be seen in other posts, a number of stolen vehicles have been located recently. In addition, two Land Rovers previously stolen in Southport were found in Lancashire. A man arrested for 13 thefts from cars in Southport, burglary and fraud by using stolen bank cards is currently on remand and due to appear in Court in January. Despite these finds there are a number of vehicles still outstanding.

Investigations continue in to all these vehicle thefts however, it is clear that owners of keyless ignition vehicles in particular, need to take extra measures to reduce the risk to their vehicles.

So what can you do to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of car crime? Follow these guidelines:
• Lock your car EVERY time you leave it – Cars with doors that have been left unlocked are being identified and targeted in the area. Get in the habit of clicking the lock on the fob TWICE to ‘deadlock’ the doors.
• Keep your keys out of sight once you have locked your vehicle. Keep keyless ignition fobs in a tin, away from doors and windows. Be aware that visitors to your home may notice where keys are left, and sneak thefts are common at both the front and rear of houses.
• If you have a car alarm, use it.
• For high value/prestige cars, take greater precautions such as trackers and immobilisers.
• For ALL vehicles, ‘low tech’ immobilisers like wheel clamps, gear stick or steering locks are an affordable method to deter thefts.
• Use a property marking system such as Smartwater, Datatag or similar to help deter thefts and identify stolen vehicles and parts.
• If you have a garage use it – break-ins of cars that have been locked away in the garage are almost unheard of.
• Add a garage/shed alarm.
• When out, park your car in a well-lit area.
• Especially do not leave ANYTHING OF VALUE in your car; Wallets phones, laptops/Ipads, satellite navigation systems etc. and always wipe the tell-tale marks off your windscreen that tell ‘would be criminals’ that a sat nav ‘may’ be kept inside the vehicle.
• Don’t even leave a coat or plastic bag on a seat.
• Thieves hate two things; light and noise. So consider adding any measures that will light them up and draw attention to them.
• Remember, whatever the age or condition of your car, or motorcycle, it may still be a target for thieves.
• If you see suspicious activity around unattended vehicles dial 999 immediately.
Don’t give thieves the opportunity to make you a victim of vehicle crime. If you have any information about who is committing vehicle crime in your area or where stolen goods are being stored you can call the Police directly on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111