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Staffordshire Police is issuing updated vehicle safety advice when it comes to deterring catalytic convertor thieves.
With incidents continuing to be reported across the county, the message continues to be to “stay alert” and “be vigilant” when it comes to avoiding becoming another victim.
Catalytic converter thieves can remove the devices from your vehicle in a matter of minutes and leave you to foot the bill.
Cars that are most often targeted are hybrid vehicles such as Toyotas and Hondas as these have two power sources, so the catalytic converter is used less frequently. The precious metals that make them appealing to thieves are therefore less likely to corrode.
Hybrid cars, vans and SUVs are particularly at risk, as their height makes access to the catalytic convertor easier.
To reduce the risk of having your catalytic converter stolen, you should:
Chief Inspector David Wain, Staffordshire Police’s senior investigating officer for this type of crime, said: “It’s important for members of the public to stay alert.
“We need people’s help to tackle this issue so we ask that they look out for this type of activity and record descriptions – noting down anything that could be useful to us. Try to obtain any key information such as registration numbers of vehicles carrying offenders and makes and models in case the plates have been changed.
“We would urge anybody who witnesses an incident taking place to call 999 immediately. Often offenders will raise a targeted vehicle on a jack to get to the catalytic convertor. We would like to remind people that the tools they carry for such offences are dangerous to others so we would encourage people not to approach them and to call 999 if the crime is in progress.
“If the offenders have already left please use the Staffordshire Police Facebook or Twitter pages to report incidents.”
Anyone with any information about incidents should message Staffordshire Police on Facebook or Twitter, or alternatively contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. If you witness an offence taking place, contact 999 when safe to do so.