Community Safety Group sponsors car crime prevention leaflets

The South Aberdeenshire Command Area of Grampian Police have seen a 53% increase in car crime since the 1st April 2005 and have launched a high profile car crime initiative to address this trend.

Operation Neighbourhood, Cracking Car Crime initiative, which is being run in partnership with the Garioch and North Marr Community Safety Group, involves the targeting of vulnerable vehicles by Police personnel and advising drivers why their vehicle may be vulnerable to car crime.

Over the past three years there has been a steady decline in car crime within the South Aberdeenshire Command Area but since the start of April this year there has been a significant increase in thefts from insecure vehicles which has resulted in the dramatic rise in car crime.

From 1st April to 18th June 2005, 49 complaints of theft were recorded where the vehicles were left insecure by the driver or owner, compared to 26 for the same time last year. The majority of these crimes occured overnight when the vehicles were parked outside the driver's home.

Inspector Dave Allan, Gordon Area Inspector said,

"This initiative builds on the tremendous success that we have already achieved in reducing the number of domestic housebreakings within South Aberdeenshire. By combining the efforts of our Operational and Traffic Officers, Special Constables and Traffic Wardens we shall be targeting vulnerable motor vehicles, such as those left unlocked or with property on view within, with an informative leaflet produced with the support of the Garioch and North Marr Community Safety Group, suggesting a number of simple, common-sense measures that could substantially reduce the risk of a vehicle being broken into."

Grampian Police are urging all vehicle users to lock doors, windows and even sunroofs when they leave their vehicle, and to take the ignition key with them. Ideally, all other items should be removed but if this is not possible then they should be placed out of sight in the boot. Items recently stolen from vehicles include laptop computers, mobile phones, compact discs, wallets and power tools and every area of South Aberdeenshire has been targeted by opportunist criminals.

Ron McKail, Chairman of the Garioch and North Marr Community Safety Group added,

"We are delighted to be able to offer support to Grampian Police and to be working in partnership with them in tackling car crime. The South Aberdeenshire area is one of the safest places in Britain to live and the Garioch and North Marr Community Safety Group hope that that this initiative will enable motorists to reduce the possibility of becoming victims of car crime."