Nine cars have been targeted by thieves in seven days in South Derbyshire as police issue a warning.

Since Friday, July 21, nine cars have been broken in to while parked-up overnight in areas including Melbourne, Kings Newton, Findern and Etwall.

Inspector Kate Bateman, who is in charge of policing for the area, said: “We have picked up on this recent spate of thefts from cars and are directing patrols in order to try and deter and catch those responsible.

“We would also ask that residents and visitors help us to help them by taking some simple steps to deter the thieves.”

The advice we would give is:

  • Keep doors locked and do not leave windows open
  • Do not leave valuables on display
  • Remove sat-navs from display and wipe the mark from the window where it had been secured
  • If you need to leave items in the vehicle place them in the boot and not the glove box or under the seat
  • Leave the glove box open to show there is nothing hidden
  • Don’t leave any bags, clothing or loose change on display.

Inspector Bateman continued: “The points are all simple steps to take but were identified by a known criminal as to what he looked for when breaking in to a vehicle.”

More details about crime prevention is available by contacting the local Safer Neighbourhood team on 101. Alternatively send them a message online by visiting the Contact Us section of the website www.derbyshire.police.uk/Contact-Us