Since 2004 car crime in Nottingham has fallen by a massive 51%, this has been achieved through effective enforcement activity, improvements in security at city centre car parks and most importantly by all of us remembering to remove any valuables from our cars when we park.

Nottingham Crime & Drugs Partnership is working with the GMB Nottingham Panthers to highlight the precautions we can all take to reduce the chances of becoming a car crime victim.

Car crime makes up nearly 20% of all recorded crimes in England and Wales. Car crime can be distressing and annoying as it often causes a lot of inconvenience and expense.

Most car crime results from criminals seeing valuables on display and taking them, thieves prefer to steal items of high value from cars, i.e. satnav’s, lap tops mobiles etc, thieves will also break into cars when a satnav cradle has been left on display or when there is a visible mark left on the windscreen by a satnav suction cup.

Thieves are also on the look out for bags and cases, there are also reports of thieves breaking into cars and vans simply because an old coat has been left on the seat or small change on the dashboard. Basically anything is fair game to these thieves.

But here’s the good news! The majority of car crime is preventable!

• Use car alarms and steering locks if you have them
• Park in well lit areas and use secured car parks where possible
• Never defrost your car leaving your engine running even if it’s on your drive at home
• Never leave your keys in the ignition whether you’re at a petrol station or briefly stepping out your car
• And by always remembering to remove any valuables from your car your chances of becoming a victim of car crime are almost zero

This campaign is as much about prevention as it is enforcement, we would all prefer to prevent a crime taking place, and that’s where the Panthers fans can help. By “ "PARKING SAFELY & ALWAYS REMOVING ANY VALUABLES" and by telling your; family, friends, neighbours and colleagues of this campaign we can reduce crime together.

Thank you in advance for your support.