Drivers warned over catalytic converter thefts at hospital car parks

Officers are warning drivers to be vigilant after a catalytic converters were stolen from hospital car parks in South Staffordshire recently.

Police were called on Monday (17 January), after a catalytic converter was stolen from a white Lexus parked at Cannock Chase Hospital.

Later the same day, officers were called again after another converter was stolen from a black Lexus parked at the hospital.

Police believe both thefts took place between 7.30am and 5.30pm.

A further three thefts, including one at another hospital car park, took place the following day.

Officers were called to Queen’s Hospital in Burton on Tuesday (18 January) at 10.15pm after a catalytic converter was stolen from a black Lexus sometime between 2pm and 6.30pm.

Police were also called to The Friary car park in Lichfield after a converter had been stolen from a blue Honda Civic sometime between 6pm on 14 January and 9am on Tuesday.

A catalytic converter was then reported stolen from a Honda CRV Sport parked on River Drive, Tamworth between 11am and 4pm that day.

These latest thefts follow another reported on Saturday (15 January) when a converter was stolen from a blue Ford Focus parked outside a property near The Parkway, Perton.

Officers are currently reviewing CCTV footage of the areas at the time of the thefts and urge anyone who may have seen suspicious activity in the locations at the time to get in touch.

Contact Staffordshire Police on Facebook, Twitter, or call 101, quoting incident number 675 of 18 January.

In order to protect yourself and your vehicle from the risk of catalytic converter thefts, officers recommend that you:

• Park your car in a locked garage or a well-lit area, covered by CCTV
• When using public car-parks, park alongside other cars with your bonnet towards the wall
• Avoid parking half on the pavement and half on the road
• If there is a fleet of vehicles – park the low clearance vehicles to block the high clearance vehicles
• Consider the use of a driveway alarm or sensor
• If your convertor is bolted on, ask for your local garage to weld the bolts or ask a trained mechanic to mark it
• Purchase a ‘cage clamp’ to make it more difficult to remove
• Report suspicious activity to police immediately.

Chief Inspector David Wain, of Staffordshire Police, said: “We encourage vehicle owners to take the necessary steps to protect their vehicles and urge anyone who notices any suspicious activity to report it as soon as possible.

“When parking, try to ensure you are in an area covered by CCTV – where officers can work to establish key information to help trace and apprehend those responsible.”