H&F car thieves warned to "beware"

Thieves read blogs too, y'know

James Adams, a 26 year old male from Fulham SW6, has plenty of time to think about exactly that after being sentenced to 5 months in prison for breaking into a vehicle in Prothero Rd SW6. What he didn't expect was that car would be one of the decoy vehicles deployed on Hammersmith and Fulham Borough to tackle this type of crime.

Captured on one of the many secret "trap" cars that are parked anywhere on the Borough, the high quality footage recorded his every move and lead to him pleading guilty for both this offence and also another theft from a motor vehicle in the W14 area.

Detective Inspector Foley, Hammersmith Crime Squad said:

"The beauty of this type of operation is it's ability to put the fear back in the minds of the criminals, they literally just don't know if the next car they break into is one of ours."

This year alone the operation has caught over 35 thieves with an impressive 100% conviction rate, and forms part of a wider crime reduction strategy which has seen a fall in crimes such as robbery and burglary by 5.5% across Hammersmith and Fulham

Still thinking about breaking into that car?

Crime prevention tips for reducing thefts from motor vehicle:-

• Lock and secure you vehicle at all times.
• Keep Valuables out of your car and leave nothing on show.
• Hide all keys, including car keys, out of sight when indoors.