Police Say Phone 999 to Tackle Local Car Theft
Say use emergency number if you suspect a thief is on your road
Cllrs Gary Busuttil (right) and Gary Malcolm (left) with members of the Southfield Police Team on St Albans Avenue
May 9, 2024
Police at a recent Southfield ward Safer Neighbourhood Team meeting have urged residents not to hesitate to use an emergency number if they see what they believe is a car thief in the area.
Several people at the meeting reported noticing people behaving in what they describe as a dodgy manner inspecting cars as they walk past them. In some cases, it appears that they may be looking into the cars to establish if drivers have left items on the seats or footwells. For reference, suspects inspecting cars are likely to be committing an offence called ‘vehicle interference’.
Many people believe that such incidents are not sufficiently serious to warrant calling 999 but the advice from the police is that these reports are helpful in tracking criminal activity and can lead to a more effective response and you should call them if the suspect is still on the scene. The police will prioritise the call as to whether they send someone quickly or not. These sightings can also be reported by email and online. Without such reports of crimes or possible dodgy behaviour, the police are not able to prioritise their activity to investigate.
The advice was reinforced by the Liberal Democrat ward councillors who were at the meeting. Councillors Gary Busuttil and Gary Malcolm heard at the meeting that the main topic was the fear of and actual car crimes in a specific list of streets in Southfield ward which covers the part of Chiswick in Ealing borough.
Southfield councillor Gary Busuttil said, “Liberal Democrats have met the local police team who want to see a reducing in car crimes. Their advice is that people who spot someone looking into their cars should report it to the police as soon as possible. By reporting these incidents, the police can get a picture of where crimes like this are happening or going to happen. The Liberal Democrats say that the police will target their resources where they get the most reports of crimes or suspicious behaviour so please do report these incidents if you see them.”
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