Appeal after stolen car found torched and motorcycle abandoned

We are reminding vehicle owners in Audley to remain vigilant after a car and a motorcycle were stolen in Newcastle-under-Lyme.  

Between the hours of 3.30pm on Sunday (18 December) and 7am on Monday (19 December), a silver Vauxhall Mokka was stolen off the driveway of an address near Meadowside Avenue.

We sent out officers to look for the car and we eventually found it had been abandoned and torched nearby.

A Kymco CK1 motorcycle was also stolen from a car-park near Old Road in #Audley between 12pm and 2pm on Wednesday (21 December).

The bike was found dumped in the nearby fields by the owner.

Anyone with any information which can help us identify those responsible is asked to get in touch on Facebook, Twitter, or by calling 101, quoting incident 98 of 19 December.

If you’d like to report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

We also received reports of suspicious activity near Old Road in #Audley on Thursday (22 December). Between the hours of 11pm on Wednesday (21 December) and 7am the following morning, offenders tried to remove the anchor chain from a motorbike which had been left on a car-park overnight.

Fortunately, the lock served as a successful deterrent and the offenders gave up.

Witnesses believe they saw a grey VW Transporter in the area at the time. It had ladders installed on the top and was stationary for a while before it left the area.

We are urging motorists to properly secure their vehicles and take considerations from the following guidelines:

• If you have a keyless car – consider purchasing a faraday bag to stop the signal from being cloned
• Consider using a steering lock overnight
• Keep keys secure and out of sight
• Ensure your vehicle is locked at all times when unattended
• If you have a motorcycle or moped – lock it with a brake disc, chain it with an anchor and hide it with a cover
• Where possible, keep your vehicle in view of CCTV and in a well-lit area
• Never leave your vehicle unattended whilst defrosting. Your insurance won’t pay out if your car is stolen this way.

For more advice on how to best protect your vehicle, visit: Preventing car and vehicle theft | Crime Prevention | Staffordshire Police