A-Z of Crime Prevention: VEHICLE CRIME

Good afternoon Resident

I hope you had a lovely weekend. With a new week comes another instalment of the A-Z of Crime Prevention newsletter and this week, I want to draw your attention to Vehicle Crime and how it affects your community. Unfortunately, you may have already received some messaging from us regarding vehicle crime incidents in your area as we are seeing numerous reports of theft of motor vehicle, theft from motor vehicle, and vehicle interference. Since the debut of this newsletter on January 1st 2025, we have received over 300 reports of vehicle crime occurring within the St Albans district with the most affected wards being Sopwell, St Peters, and London Colney. 

Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team alongside our Response, Proactive, and Detective colleagues are working hard to tackle this phenomenon with a preventative and a proactive approach. This includes raising awareness about vehicle crime prevention and encouraging residents to remain vigilant for any suspicious activity occurring within their neighbourhoods. 

We are seeing numerous theft of vehicles with around 80% of reports relating to a car, and 20% relating to motorcycles. Whilst many of these vehicle crime incidents can be opportunistic, we are open-minded to the fact that some of these incidents may be organised with perpetrators targeting certain makes/models for their own criminal purposes. We have received multiple reports since the beginning of the year relating to the theft of a Ford Fiesta or a Hyundai Tucson, so if you are the owner of one of these vehicles, please note our crime prevention advice and consider taking extra security precautions to protect your vehicle from theft; such as storing your car keys (and any copies) in a faraday bag or signal-blocking container.

Likewise, the figures relating to theft from motor vehicles highlight that the offender was successful in stealing items from within the vehicle due to the vehicle being unlocked or insecure. I must, therefore, stress to you the importance of locking your vehicle when leaving it unattended, removing all valuables from the vehicle (including cash, debit cards, and electronics) to make it less attractive for opportunistic thieves. Criminals are far less likely to draw attention to their activity by damaging a vehicle or smashing the windows to gain entry, so ensuring your vehicle is locked gives you the best chance of preventing this from occurring. Consider investing in car alarms, immobilisers or a steering wheel lock for an extra level of security and peace of mind. 

As your neighbourhood team, we want to hear from you! Are you concerned about vehicle crime in your area? Do you want to see a police presence in your area specifically due to concerns around vehicle crime? Would you like some bespoke crime prevention advice? Please voice these concerns directly to us by clicking the ‘Reply’ button below. Alternatively, you can rate the usefulness of this message by clicking the Thumbs Up/Down button below.

Thank you for reading and following along. 

Best wishes, 

PC Fiona Hitchcock.