Radios are the most-stolen items from cars

New research has revealed that if your car is broken into, it is the radio that is mostly likely to be taken; however, it seems that opportunist thieves are willing to steal anything they can find, with items such as shopping, satnavs, clothing and even sweets and air fresheners getting swiped.

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The facts

In the UK last year, 831,000 cases were reported that related to theft from vehicles. Research has shown that almost one in five of us has suffered this kind of crime.

Nearly one-third of those who have experienced vehicle crime report that the radio was snatched, making this the most-stolen item. The next most common item to get swiped was shopping (17 per cent), followed by satnavs (13 per cent). Mobile phones, clothing, shoes, sunglasses, wallets and wheels were also high on car thieves’ pilfering lists.

It appears that thieves are also willing to steal seemingly worthless items, such as a single shoe, a bag of clothes for the charity shop, an empty laptop case, air fresheners, and a snooker cue.

Worrying trends

Despite extensive police campaigns to encourage people not to leave valuables in their cars, and with one in five of us already a victim of a car break-in, it seems that not everyone is getting the message and being cautious.

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According to Motors, 40 per cent of people still leave valuables in their car, with 26 per cent believing this to be safe as long as items are not on display.

What you can do

You can safeguard your vehicle from getting broken into by ensuring you have the latest security features installed. Even if you are renting a car, or using a company that offers car leasing in Leicester such as http://leasing.totalmotion.co.uk/, find out what security features a car comes with beforehand.

An alarm and an immobiliser are your best bets for security; however, it always pays to be vigilant and careful, no matter how safe and secure your car seems.

It goes without saying that you should never leave items on display in your car, even if you think they are not valuable. If you have to leave valuables in the car, always secure them in the boot and keep the amount of time they are left in the car to a minimum. Avoid leaving valuables in the car overnight.