CAR owners are making it easy for car thieves who have been targeting the area in recent weeks, a police chief has warned.
There has been a marked rise in thefts from cars with incidents reported in Lutterworth, Ullesthorpe, Broughton Astley and Claybrooke Magna. Other areas of the county have also seen increases.
Property stolen has included golf clubs, power tools, sat-nav devices, laptops and bags with number plates are being taken by the thieves.
Inspector Phil Durrant said there was no pattern as to where the crimes were being committed and said all car owners should be on their guard.
“Many of the thefts have occurred where property has been left on show, and on occasion where the vehicle has been left insecure,” he said.
“Please take a few moments to remove items of value and lock your vehicle. I would remind people to lock it or lose it.”
The warning came as police revealed they had generated £1million in online sales of goods seized from crooks.
Leicestershire Police was the first force in the country to set up an eBay site, specialising in goods recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
And since September 2009 the most popular items have been luxury cars and high class watches with an Aston Martin DB9 car going for £63,000 and a Rolex for more than £13,000. Designer clothes and jewellery have also proved popular along with electrical goods and computers, and the more unusual replica of a German armoured car, microlite aircraft and a collections of comics.
Paul Wenlock, the head of the force’s economic crime unit, said: “It has been a huge success. We have generated possibly twice as much from these sales than if we had sent the same items to auction.
“The site is also a daily reminder that we will take civil as well as criminal action to ensure criminals do not benefit from their crimes.
“In some cases we have been able to seize goods and sell them where we have not managed to secure a criminal conviction.”
