You’re more likely to have your car stolen in Preston than any other part of Lancashire, according to new figures.
AdvertisementThe PR2 postcode has seen more cars stolen, 346, between 2014-2016 than anywhere else in the county.
We can reveal, in association with insurers esure, figures from a Freedom of Information request show the hot spots for car thefts and also thefts from cars across Preston and the surrounding area.
In Lancashire there were 5,492 cars stolen in the two year period.
A postcode breakdown shows the hot spot areas in PR postcodes:
Chief underwriting officer at esure Jon Wilshire said: “Car crime is up in many areas across the country despite cars becoming increasingly hard to steal. These statistics suggest that part of the reason for this trend is that thieves know they can get away with it as they are unlikely to get caught, and even if they do very few face a custodial sentence – demonstrated in the re-offender rates.
“Stealing a modern car without keys is difficult so the majority of thefts we see are when thieves get hold of car keys either by breaking into a property or stealing them from personal belongings. In addition, thieves have adapted to modern security technology, developing techniques to combat keyless entry systems and immobilisers.
“Drivers need to keep their car keys in a safe place away from windows and front doors and consider fitting a tracker if their vehicle is expensive.”
Read more: Hidden cameras capture Preston car thieves
The Freedom of Information request also covered thefts from cars, which is one of the most common offences police deal with in Preston.
A spokeswoman for Lancashire Police said: “We work hard to target suspected vehicle crime offenders as well as offering advice to motorists to try to prevent vehicle crime from happening in the first place.
“Numerous crime prevention campaigns have been carried out to reach out to motorists to urge them not to leave valuables on show inside their vehicle and owners of trade vehicles to remove power tools from their vehicles overnight. Social media campaigns have also circulated crime prevention messages to members of the community and the Police ‘In The Know’ messages are regularly sent out to specific areas that have been targeted.
“Unfortunately, many offences are committed where vehicles have been left insecure. We would encourage all motorists to ensure that they lock their vehicle securely as this also ensures that the vehicle security systems, such as engine immobilisers, are activated should their vehicle be targeted by potential thieves.
“We would encourage motorists to assist us by following the crime prevention advice and reducing the risk of becoming victims of vehicle crime in the future. If you witness any suspicious activity or have any further information that may assist us in identifying potential offenders we can be contacted on 101 or alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
What do you make of the figures? Have you ever been a victim of car crime? Let us know in the comments below