As thefts of satellite navigation systems soar across the Midlands, Mark Andrews finds how officers are using new technology in the fight against car crime.

The green Rover driving along the M5 at Lydiate Ash looked pretty unremarkable, but it set alarm bells ringing for the police officers parked up at the roadside – literally.

The moment it passed the closed-circuit television van it triggered a sensor, sparking a 15-mile police chase.

“A pursuit followed, continuing through Hagley, Churchill and then towards Caunsall,” says Pc Andy Saunders, of the North Worcestershire Road Policing Unit.

The car had been identified as being stolen by the automatic number plate recognition system (ANPR), one of the police’s latest weapons in the fight against vehicle crime. The cameras check every passing car against the police database, up to a 1,000 in any given hour. Anyone with convictions for car crime can expect to be pulled over and their vehicle searched.

“We usually get a hit every five minutes,” says Pc Saunders.

Technology

“It would be surprising if we didn’t get four or five arrests in a day out of it,” says Det Insp Mark Colquhoun.

It is not just in Worcestershire where the cameras are being used. The neighbouring West Midlands and Staffordshire forces have also made much use of the technology. The system is believed to have made a major contribution to a reduction in the number of theft offences in the All Saints and Blakenhall areas of Wolverhampton, for example.

The system is not foolproof, however. Kidderminster mechanic Adam Snape was left without his car for five days at Christmas after the police computer erroneously showed him as having no road tax, and his vehicle was seized by officers.

As far as the stolen Rover in Bromsgrove was concerned, a helicopter was despatched, and the offenders were eventually jailed after being found hiding up a tree.

Car crime, and thefts of satellite navigation systems in particular, has been identified as one of the major issues in the Midlands. The West Mercia Police force area saw sat nav theft rise by nearly 400 per cent last year, with 167 systems being stolen in the North Worcestershire area. There have already been eight thefts in January, over almost as many days.

Motorway service stations are a favourite spot for offenders, and the ANPR van has been out at Hopwood services on the M42, near Bromsgrove. Officers were out in force last week warning motorists of the importance of removing their sat nav systems when they park up, and found no shortage of people who had been victims of car crime.

One such motorist was electrician Huw Withey, who says he relied on his sat nav system as he travelled up and down the country for his work.

“I was working up in Middlesbrough and thought my sat nav would be safe under the seat,” he says. “One day somebody smashed the drivers’ side window and took the sat nav, which cost £500.”

But it was not just the loss of the device which caused him problems.

“It was just coming up to five o’clock, and nobody wanted to come out and replace the window until the next day,” says Mr Withey. Fortunately he was able to lock his van inside the shop he was working on; otherwise he would have been forced to leave his van, and all his tools, at the mercy of thieves overnight.

Mr Colquhoun is mystified as to why some people are so casual about leaving such expensive equipment on show for thieves.

“You wouldn’t get £300 out of your wallet and leave it on the dashboard, but this is just the same,” he says.

“At motorway service stations people get out the car for 15 minutes or so, and they get a bit blasŽ.”

“Thieves will obviously look for somewhere there will be a lot of cars.”

And of course, thieves can be miles away within a few minutes.

One reason for the big rise in sat nav thefts is their increased popularity since they have become more affordable, but Mr Colquhoun says people who knowingly buy cheap secondhand systems should be share the blame.

“People buy them at car boot sales, or get offered sat nav for £40-£50. If somebody’s trying to sell a £500 bit of kit for £40, they should ask why.

“It’s a bit like it was with car stereos a few years back. Sat nav is quite new, and it is usually a few years before the manufacturers catch up and make them more difficult to steal.”

It is not just inconvenience that victims of sat nav theft suffer from. Yesterday it was revealed that thieves are using the devices to find the victims’ home addresses with a view to burglary.

In the meantime, the ANPR patrols will play an increasing rise in the fight against crime. The CCTV van is now out two or three days a week, and the police division also has a Vauxhall Vectra car fitted with the equipment, which goes out in the evenings.

Mark Colquhoun said: “Most people who commit crimes have to travel, and most of them will use a vehicle. ANPR technology can be used to tackle almost any type of crime and it may become increasingly important in the fight against terror.”