Police across Burnham and the Somerset West region are continuing to take a stand against vehicle-related crime as part of Operation Relentless, the force’s ongoing campaign.
Officers will be holding a crime prevention roadshow at Sedgemoor Services on the M5 near Burnham-On-Sea this Friday (February 9th) and a covert capture car and bike will be in and around the district helping to catch more criminals. The vehicles contain a small camera that captures the image of anyone who breaks in.
Officers will also be taking to the streets in the Burnham area, spreading the word on car crime by handing out leaflets, posters and ice scrapers as well as giving out marker pens in a bid to make people take more responsibility for their own property. The number of victims could fall if drivers played a role in crime prevention.
It comes as new figures show there are, on average, 500 victims of car crime every week across Avon and Somerset. The campaign helping to tackle the problem is already making an impact with over 140 arrests in January alone.
Chief Inspector Rob Dean, who is heading up the operation in the Somerset West district, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “As well as targeting and arresting offenders, we also want to help the public help themselves.”
“Lots of car owners are still ignoring the warnings about leaving items in their cars which plays straight into the hands of car thieves. If there is nothing on view for them to steal, the likelihood is that they won’t break in.”
“We are also raising awareness in schools, informing pupils about the risks associated with vehicle crime and the criminal use of motor vehicles.”
People can register their items on the Immobilise website at www.immobilise.com. By taking advantage of this free website, people can report any registered item as stolen, which instantly appears on the Police National Stolen Equipment Database, a system used by all UK police forces to trace owners of stolen property.
