Slough Borough Council

Car crime

It only takes a minute for a thief to break into your vehicle - and just a minute to stop them. It's a problem that affects us all no matter where we live.

You can greatly reduce the risk to your vehicle by:

• removing all items of value from your vehicle when you park even if it’s a coat or a bag.
• always remembering to lock doors and close windows
• parking in well-lit open areas.
• when parking outside, park in an attended car park which is part of the police approved Safer Parker Scheme.
• etching your vehicle registration number on your windows, windscreens and all equipment in your car.

If your vehicle looks empty, the chances are it will be left alone.

Don't leave credit cards, vehicle documents, sat navs or cheque books in the glove compartment or anywhere else in the car. Remove your car stereo from your car if you can.

Always remember to lock your doors - an unlocked door is an open invitation to a thief. Yet many people still leave their vehicles unlocked while they pay for petrol, pull in to nip to a cash point or go to the ticket machine to pay for a parking space. That is long enough to allow a thief to make off with their vehicle and any possessions left inside.

Top Ten possessions most likely to be stolen from your vehicle are:

• Baggage
• Laptop computers
• CD players
• Loose change
• Clothes
• Mobile phones
• Documents
• Power tools
• Glasses
• Satellite Navigation