POLICE are urging people not to leave valuables on show in their cars following a sharp rise in car crime.
The number of thefts from vehicles in the Stoke-on-Trent Central area has gone up by a massive 46 per cent.
Police figures show there were 333 crimes recorded from April until the end of last year, compared with 227 in the same period the year before.
Chief Inspector Jeff Moore, pictured below, put the rise down to people leaving things like phones and sat navs in sight.
"We've seen an increase in vehicle crime and the common thing is that items have been left on display," he said.
"People are having sat navs and mobile phones stolen and we are still getting a lot of cars that are left unlocked.
"The police are working to tackle it but in addition we need people to take care of their own property."
Officers have increased patrols in problem areas including Hanley, Northwood and Stoke. If they spot a car that looks like it would be a target, officers will try to contact the owner.
Mr Moore said: "As soon as we've seen a spike in crime we've very quickly put patrols in place.
"From a preventative point of view we have been carrying out Operation Habit, advising people who have left things on display.
"We either write to the registered keeper or, if we can make contact with the owner of the car there and then, speak to them.
"We're catching offenders – we've dealt with 26 people during that period for stealing from cars."
Councillor Paul Breeze, chairman of Hanley One Residents' Association, said he was aware of the increase in car crime in his area.
"People are going to have to start taking a lot more responsibility for keeping things out of view," he said.
"The police have been flagging it up a lot at residents' association meetings. Maybe people just think it won't happen to them but it seems like commonsense to keep things out of sight."
Student Jess Hunter, aged 23, of Shelton, said: "I'm pleased they're going to be patrolling more because not a lot of houses have garages or driveways around here and the cars are more vulnerable."
Mr Moore added: "Our tips would be to keep your vehicle locked and don't leave any items on display. I would also encourage people to register their property on immobilise.com so police can identify stolen items."
Original article from the Sentinel 23/01/2012