Warnings after a number of burglary-related car thefts

Message from Humberside Police:

We’re issuing advice following a number if recent burglaries which have led to the theft of a car from outside the properties.

The burglaries have occurred at houses across Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire over the past few weeks.

Detective Inspector Simon Vickers from Hull CID said: “In recent weeks we have had a number of cars being stolen following the house being broken into.  In many cases the only thing to have been stolen from inside are car keys.

“Criminals are known to break in to a house just to steal car keys. The keys are then used to steal the cars from outside the premises.  In these recent cases, high value vehicles such as Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis have been stolen.

“Many burglaries happen between midnight and 4am when most car and homeowners are sound asleep in bed however we are now seeing burglaries in the late afternoon as it begins to get dark.

“In a number of cases offenders have entered houses through unlocked front or back doors. 

“People may not think to lock their doors during the early evening but I would advise to lock your doors at all times, that way it prevents opportunist thieves targeting your home.

“Keep your house and car safe and secure and ideally if you have a garage ensure you park your car securely in it and if possible install a good CCTV system which these days can be bought quite cheaply and is the fraction of the cost of a car.

“If you see anything suspicious at all, anybody looking as though they are ‘scoping’ a property or a vehicle out, or anything out of the ordinary where you live please contact us.

“As always if you have any information about these crimes, call us on 101, 999 if you see a crime in progress, or anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Advice about home and car security can be found here:  https://www.humberside.police.uk/protect-your-home and https://www.humberside.police.uk/protect-your-vehicle