Wokingham

One of Wokingham’s top police officers is personally urging motorists not to leave sat navs on display in their vehicles.

Insp Jim Weems, the deputy Wokingham LPA Commander, believes that leaving these expensive items on display in vehicles is like leaving cash on the seats.

He said: “I want people to realise that leaving a sat nav in a car is the equivalent of leaving cash laid out on the dash-board.

“If people can start to think like this, then they are more likely to remember to remove devices from their cars.”

He added: “Most thieves are opportunists and if they see something valuable on view in a vehicle they will break in to get it. You only have to leave your car for a short time for an opportunist thief to act. It is all over very quickly.”

There have been six incidents in the past fortnight around Wokingham town centre where thieves have smashed vehicle windows to grab sat nav systems.

These have taken place in Carey Road, Goodchild Road, Wellington Road, Luckley Path, Rectory Road and Wokingham Market Place.

Members of the crime reduction team are trying to raise awareness of the need to remove all valuables from cars by distributing leaflets to houses in the area and leaving them on vehicles around the town centre.

Crime Reduction advisor Chris Oblein said: “It’s a common sense thing to do, even if you’re only leaving your car for a minute, that’s all a thief needs. Since the beginning of the year in the Wokingham Borough Council area there have been 44 thefts from cars where a sat nav has been taken. Last year there were a total of 170 sat nav thefts from cars.

“These offences could have easily been prevented had the car owners taken 60 seconds to remove their sat nav and cradle.

‘Thieves are not only looking for the devices themselves. They will break into a car if the cradle has been left on show, on the chance that the car owner has merely placed the device in the glove box. Even the ring mark left by the sucker on the windscreen will temp a criminal to break in.

“Remember, take it with you, before its taken from you. It takes 60 seconds to remove your sat nav and wipe away the sucker mark and help prevent his type of crime.”

Thames Valley Police ~ Wokingham