Crime Prevention Advice – Preventing Theft from Motor Vehicle

Dear West Putney residents,

One of the most common trends of crime against vehicles in London is theft from motor vehicle.

These occur from opportunistic thieves looking to make quick cash or from individuals who target specific vehicle models due to their vulnerabilities. Items such as Sat Navs, loose change or sunglasses bring attention to your vehicle which may result in a break in, and your items being stolen. Some advice I can recommend now is to make sure to make sure your vehicle is always locked when you're not using it, remove or hide any property from inside your vehicle and, if possible, park in an area that is well lit and close to your home.

The Met police has a list of advice that may potentially help you prevent yourself from having a break in into your vehicle, I recommend going through it in your spare time. The link can be found here.

If you own a van and use it to store tools and/or other property, I would consider installing a lockable cabinet that adds protection to your property. Further information can be found on the Secured by Design website.

If you would like to report a crime call 101, in an emergency always call 999. If you would like to report online, click on this link: https://www.met.police.uk/ro/report

Kind regards,

West Putney Safer Neighbourhoods Team