Sat nav theft doubles in Haringey

8:35am Thursday 3rd July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

Satellite navigation systems are being stolen from vehicles across Haringey at a rate of two a day, bucking the decreasing trend in all other vehicle crime.

As many as 61 Sat Navs were stolen from vehicles last month, an increase of 117 per cent on the 28 stolen in May.

Despite this dramatic increase in the theft of these systems, police figures show a 12.3 per cent decrease in thefts from motors in May and June this year compared to 2007.

But police have now issed a warning to drivers about sat navs after the arrest of a 29-year-old man on suspicion of stealing the devices from cars.

The man is suspected of committing two crimes in Muswell and Crouch End where sat nav cradles were left in full view of passers-by.

Officers from the motor vehicle squad are urging people not to leave anything on view in vehicles.

Detective Constable Matthew Dumpleton said: "The thing that offenders look for is a suction mark on the windscreen. This makes it easy for them as, nine times out of ten, if there's a suction mark, they'll find a sat nav in the glove box.

"The same philosophy applies if you leave a sat nav cradle or phone charger where it can be seen.

"We would urge motorists to report a theft from their vehicle to us at the earliest opportunity and to try not to touch things that may have been touched by the suspect.

"This will give us the best chance to gather crucial forensic and CCTV evidence and bring the offender to justice."

Police are also encouraging people to mark their electrical goods with a UV pen and keep a note of the make, model and serial number to help police return any retrieved items.

Haringey police is attributing the fall in vehicle crime to the imprisonment of several prolific criminals earlier in the year. Since the beginning of the year the detection rate has risen to 32 per cent.