Please attribute to Sergeant Yvette McKelvie, Kapiti Mana Police

Sergeant Yvette McKelvie, Community Engagement Supervisor from Kapiti Mana Police is warning car owners to keep tabs on their cars.

Certain vehicles appear to be more attractive to thieves than others and there is something you as owners can do about this, especially owners of Mazda Demio vehicles and Subaru cars.

While police do patrol regularly, we encourage owners to keep vehicles safe, by taking some very basic precautionary measures. “There are ways to do this, without it costing too much. Whether the cars are being targeted for people to steal items from them, or worse steal the entire car, here are some ideas for making sure this is less likely to happen.

Motorists using non-monitored car parks or even simply parking outside their houses on dark streets are urged to take valuables with them when leaving their vehicles. It’s vitally important to make sure technology is not left attached to windscreens.

Leaving these valuables in plain sight presents opportunities for thieves.

They are breaking windows, taking items in view and quickly leaving the scene.

At least lock your vehicle – and to make it even safer, you could get a steering lock, car alarm, or vehicle immobiliser installed.

Not only are offenders stealing items from the cars, sometimes they are breaking in to steal your whole car. Offenders will often target a number of cars in close proximity which causes a spike in car crime in those areas.

Often when vehicles are stolen they are used to commit further offences such as burglaries and aggravated robberies and this is not okay.

If we catch these offenders we can actively reduce the impact this has on people who are victims of not just the car thefts, but potentially other serious crimes.

We are proactively targeting those offenders who are committing these crimes and will hold them accountable for their actions, while minimising their ability to reoffend, but the public need to take measures to protect themselves too.

Police would like to hear from anyone who may have information to assist police in relation to car thefts.

Any suspicious activity can be reported to the Kapiti Police Station on (04) 296 6800 or the Porirua Police Station on (04) 238 1400 during business hours.

But if you see something you think is suspicious or out of the ordinary and you can see it happening at any time – dial 111 and we will get staff there as soon possible.

Information can be provided anonymously to the organisation CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

Police also encourage the public to use the SNAP service to record serial numbers and details of valuable items.

This helps to identify and return property if located when stolen.

Information on the SNAP service can be found at www.snap.org.nz and details about how you can protect yourself from becoming a victim is found here: http://www.police.govt.nz/advice/personal-community/protect-property-vehicles

ENDS

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