Drive to curb rise in thefts from vehicles in North

Thefts from vehicles in the North have shot up by over 5% in the past year and Criminal Justice Minister Paul Goggins today launched a campaign to try to reverse the trend.

“If thieves see it, they steal it,” was the minister’s message as he urged motorists not to leave valuables and personal possessions on view.

The theft of expensive power tools from construction workers’ vans top the list of the criminals targets, it was revealed, followed by top-of-the-range in-car entertainment systems and then bags and purses.

Mr Goggins was joined at the campaign launch in Belfast by Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland and John Armstrong, chief executive of the Construction Employers’ Federation.

The minister said: “This campaign is a timely reminder to everyone from construction workers who carry valuable equipment to young people with high value in-car entertainment systems, that leaving them on view is an open invitation for opportunist thieves to take them.”

The province-wide campaign will include a three-week push on radio – in part directed specifically at young people with high value in-car entertainment systems – and two weeks of advertising on billboards and bus shelters.

Six crime hot spots where the majority of thefts take place – Belfast, Craigavon, Armagh, Newtownabbey, Lisburn and Cookstown – will get a more concentrated campaign.

Mr Goggins said: “Through this campaign we want to remind all vehicle users, particularly at this busy time of the year, to take just a few moments to either lock away or take away your valuables with you.”

ACC McCausland said that as most cars and vans were now fitted with alarms, immobilisers, tracking devices and ID numbers, vehicle theft could be less attractive to criminals than in the past.

“As a result, criminals are increasingly targeting high value, portable gadgets and valuable tools left on display or easily accessed in cars and vans.

“In addition to being reasonably easy and quick to remove, these items are often not security coded or marked, so they are incredibly difficult to trace.”

Mr Armstrong said the initiative was particularly timely for his industry.

“At a very difficult time for the construction sector the last thing companies need is the theft of valuable plant or equipment,” he said.