Car Security

If you left your car on the street, with the windows down and the keys in the ignition, you wouldn’t be terribly surprised if someone took the opportunity to drive it away, would you?

Yet every day thousands of motorists fall victim to crime. In fact according to Home Office statistics, vehicle crime accounts for one fifth of all crime recorded by the police.

So what can you do to improve your chances of keeping the criminals at bay?

Of course most of the steps are blindingly obvious – like not leaving those keys in the ignition.

But here are some other simple steps:

• Never leave anything on display when you park your car. Even an old coat or a plastic bag can tempt a thief.
• Electronic engine immobilisers prevent your car from starting and are the best way to stop thieves. They should be professionally fitted by an approved installer.
• When parking at home always use your garage if you have one. When parking outside always try to park in an attended car park.
• Use a steering wheel lock when you leave your car. Also consider fitting locking wheel nuts, which are cheap and easy to fit.
• Car alarms can deter thieves from not only taking your car, but also stealing items from it, but they need to be fitted by a professional.
• Have your car registration number or the last seven digits of your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) etched onto all windows.
• If you are thinking of buying a used car, get one of the commercial databases to check out the car you’ve got your eye on in case it has been reported stolen or written off by an insurance company.

For further advice, check out the Home Office’s “Secure Your Motor” website www.secureyourmotor.gov.uk/ where you can find out how “at-risk” your particular model of car is, get further advice, view exclusive videos and take part in an interactive “outsmart the criminal” challenge.

To see just why car security is so important, take a look at this CCTV footage