CAR owners in Northumberland are being urged to remove valuables from their vehicles in a bid to thwart thieves behind a rising tide of thefts.
Northumbria Police has issued the plea following a surge in incidents in the county of raids on unattended and parked cars.
Officers say they are seeing more and more cases where owners have left valuables items such as sat nav systems and mobile phones clearly visible to opportunist thieves.
Last month a thief smashed the window of a van that was parked in Front Street West, Bedlington and stole the sat nav system that had been left in the window.
PC Craig Davison said: “The van was parked in a relatively busy area of Bedlington and the criminal risked smashing the window to gain entry in broad daylight.
“It shows the lengths that thieves will go to if they know that valuables are left inside a vehicle. Help us to stop them by removing anything of value from inside your car when ever you are leaving it.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0345 604 3043 ext 69191.
