Staffordshire car key break-ins hit 2,000 a year
Thousands of car key burglaries are being carried out across Staffordshire each year, a top police chief has warned.
The raiders are now targetting family saloons as well as high end luxury vehicles which have usually been taken in the car key crimes.
Chf Sup Jon Drake, commander of Staffordshire South which covers Lichfield, Cannock, Stafford and Stone, said across the whole of the county there were about half a dozen car key burglaries each day – making over 2,000 each year.
It has led to Staffordshire Police stepping up the fight against car key burglaries in a bid to crackdown on the crime.
Chf Sup Drake said today: "Car key burglaries have always been an issue.
"Burglars tend to target high value vehicles but they are going for more normal cars and family hatchback cars. They will go for any kind of car these days.
"Some cars stolen just disappear entirely. Others are broken down and parts sold. Some parts are very valuable. Across the whole of Staffordshire there are about half a dozen car key burglaries a day."
He said in his area, including there were two to three car key burglaries each day.
Chf Sup Drake said burglars were as cunning as ever when it comes to stealing cars.
They will use a hook and cane to fish through letter-boxes to snatch keys and some are brazen enough just to walk into homes through unlocked doors and take the keys. Chf Sup Drake added: "They do often use a hook and cane through the letter-box to fish for the keys.
"Another method is just kicking the door down and others sneak in through an unlocked door, even when homeowners are in.
"Car key burglaries really impact on people's lives that's why we take this sort of crime so seriously.
"Years ago you could steal a car with a screwdriver. It was very easy.
"Now security systems in cars are fantastic. It means the easiest way is to steal the keys then the car. Next to a house, cars are the most expensive things we own." He said Staffordshire Police was working closely with officers from other forces to share intelligence, target, disrupt and arrest offenders travelling across borders for the purpose of committing crimes. And the police use an automatic number plate recognition system to track down the criminals.
He advised homeowners not to leave car keys near doors or windows, always lock doors and windows even when at home and to park vehicles in a garage overnight.
