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Showing the red light to car crime

23/ 4/2008

POLICE are to repeat an operation which helped to reduce car crime in Glossop by a third.

Between 1 April last year and 31 March, 164 such crimes were reported, down from 245 the year before — a drop of 33.1 per cent.

Throughout High Peak and the Derbyshire Dales while Operation Python was ongoing, there were 1,016 vehicle crimes, compared with 1,056 for the same period the previous year.

And in the last five years, police say vehicle crime in B division — which includes Glossopdale — has fallen by 41 per cent.

Derbyshire Police has joined forces with councils, park rangers, car park attendants and other agencies to increase public awareness of simple crime prevention measures people should take when leaving their vehicles.

Throughout the summer, cards will be handed out to motorists reminding them to lock their vehicles and remove valuable items — such as ‘sat nav’ systems and cameras — from view.

Posters with the same message will also be displayed in car parks in Glossop and across High Peak and the Dales. An Automatic Number Plate Recognition van will also be deployed across the area, enabling police to identify vehicles used by known criminals, uninsured vehicles and those without a valid tax disc.

PC John Riley, crime reduction officer for the Derbyshire Dales, said: "Our aim is to build on the good work that has been achieved in previous years.

"We are asking residents and visitors to make this a safe place to be by securing their cars and property and not giving criminals an easy ride. We want people to remember their visit to the Peak District for the right reasons."