Thieves lying in wait at Midland Metro tram stops

Thieves are lying in wait at Midland Metro tram stops in the Black Country to steal sat navs and other valuables from cars left by commuters, police said today.

The criminals have struck nine times in the last month, with eight thefts at Wednesbury Parkway and one at Black Lake tram stop in West Bromwich.

Police have started undercover patrols of the stops and today released CCTV images of men wearing hoodies and attempting to hide their faces, who they were hoping to speak to about the thefts.

Pc Stuart Williamson, said: "Crime such as this has been very rare in these locations until recently when we've experienced a number of similar incidents which have seen offenders steal from vehicles after smashing windows to gain entry.

"British Transport Police is stepping up patrols, both high visibility and covert, at the locations in an attempt to find those responsible.

"Officers are also highlighting any vehicles that may be more susceptible to crime with valuables left on display and informing the owners."

PC Williamson added: "Sat nav systems often attach to the windscreen of a car via a suction pad and when removed these leave marks on the windscreen.

"Thieves are aware of this and will look for cars with these marks — as they signal that a sat nav might be inside.

"I'd like to urge other motorists to be aware of the issue and take a few simple steps to beat the thieves.

"Always remove any signs that a sat nav is in use when you leave your vehicle, just wiping away suction marks and hiding any leads can be enough to stop thieves eyeing up your car.

"Where possible, remove all other gadgets — or expensive items — from view.

"Most thieves are opportunistic and will look for easy targets.

"By reducing the number of items on show we can seriously restrict the number of thefts."

Officers will patrol in and around car parks by the tram stops, offering advice to drivers. The thefts occurred between September 3 and October 11.

Anyone who recognises the men is urged to call British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40, quoting incident number B11/WW of 15/10/2010, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

By Alex Homer