Cars raided for sat navs

Hundreds of pounds worth of property has been stolen by thieves targeting cars in Cannock.

Sat nav systems, laptops, stereos and power tools have been taken from cars and vans parked up in the Bridgtown, Longford and Churchbridge areas of the town in a spate of thefts over the last couple of weeks.

Inspector Matt Derrick said there had been a "sharp increase" in the number of these thefts.

His officers dealt with 10 thefts in the last fortnight from industrial estates and retail parks in those areas near to the A5.

He has called for motorists to be more vigilant and make sure they keep their valuables out of sight to prevent thieves from enjoying easy pickings.

He said: "A concern for us is there is a sharp increase in the number of thefts from vehicles recently, mostly opportunist items left on display.

"A number of vehicles have been targeted and had a number of sat navs stolen and a van had power tools taken from the back.

"We have upped our patrols in the area, both visible and covert, with the view to identifying the thieves.

"What we need is the public to remove items of value off display, particularly those just nipping into Sainsbury's or wherever for a few minutes."

Inspector Derrick added the majority of the thefts were in the early evening when it starts to get dark.

He said they believe thieves are observing drivers as they leave their cars to see if anything of value is put in the boot.

Thieves are also scouring car parks and looking into vehicles for items of high value left on display.

Insp Derrick said: "It's something for nothing for them. For the victims it is not so much the property that costs a lot to replace, it is the damage caused to the car by a smashed window or a bent door lock which costs the significant amount of money."