NEWS CHANNEL
Police in Milton Keynes will be working under Operation De-Icer tomorrow (Friday) and throughout the weekend to ensure car thieves don’t benefit from the cold weather.
The operation combats the theft of unattended cars left with the keys in the ignition or switched to allow the vehicle to defrost.
Officers in plain clothes will be walking known hot-spots for vehicle theft in the city, supported by colleagues in uniform.
In addition to arresting anyone suspected of stealing vehicles, they will be on hand to remind members of the public who leave their cars vulnerable of the risk they are taking.
DI Richard North said: “Even when we have had a relatively mild winter, cars in the city are stolen by opportunist thieves who spot a car with the engine running and the owner elsewhere.
“People often try to save time by turning on their car and the heaters and grabbing a quick cup of coffee while it defrosts.
“Our job is two fold: firstly, to catch the thieves themselves, who know that there can be easy pickings to have at his time of year, and secondly, to try and prevent people from making it easy for the criminals to steal cars.”
Supt Nikki Ross: “I have allocated specific resources and officers to try and combat this problem.
“People need to recognise the risk they are taking when they leave their vehicles switched on and unattended -not only may they lose their vehicle, they may also find their insurance is invalidated too.”
For more information, to arrange an interview or to accompany one of our proactive teams on the beat, phone 01865 846699.
