Thieves targeting vehicles '˜at least once every day' in Gosport

The vehicles have been tampered with in Gosport, with some items taken.

Sgt Simon Law is warning drivers to lock cars after 161 incidents in 90 days.

He said: ‘We do not believe that all of these reports are linked, but it sends a clear message to motorists in Gosport that you should always lock your vehicle, no matter how long it is unattended for, and don’t leave valuables on display.

‘With the nights getting darker and winter drawing in, there is potential for this problem to get worse. The current figures show that on average, at least one person is becoming a victim of this kind of crime each day in Gosport.

‘We’re doing our best to address the issue, but in many cases theft can be prevented by observing simple crime prevention advice.

‘We have arrested three people in relation to this kind of crime in Gosport recently, one of whom has been charged with handling stolen goods.

‘We’ve also been working to establish if patterns of vehicle tampering or theft have emerged and where ‘hot spots’ have been identified we’ve spoken to residents and increased patrols.’

Police are warning people to take all items out cars, to remove stereos where possible and not to hide items under seats Nearly half of all incidents happen close to the owner’s home, police added.