Smash and Grab Thief Targeted Women Drivers

Windows smashed and handbags grabbed from passenger seats

Chiswick Police have confirmed that there have been a number of thefts from cars reported at various locations in W4 and have called on the public to be extra vigilant.

ChiswickW4.com has had reports of car windows smashed while the drivers were in their vehicles and handbags grabbed from the passenger seats.

One incident happened on Wednesday afternoon (February 15th) near Sainsbury's Local on the eastern end of the High Road while the woman driver was in her car. The passenger window was smashed and her bag was snatched from the seat. The bag contained some irreplaceable photographs and medical notes which might have been discarded nearby.

At least one other incident was reported recently near Orchard House School around 3 pm, a time when mothers arrive in cars to pick up children. One report described a man wearing a motorcycle helmet on a moped smashing the window of a car while the woman was inside the car, and making off with her property.

Shortly before Christmas police noted an increase in handbag thefts from pubs and cafes and warned people to be vigilant with their possessions and staff to be on the lookout for suspicious behaviour.

 Asked if they were aware of incidents of this type of crime locally, a spokesman said ;

“There have been instances of theft from the environs of Sainsbury's in Chiswick, both theft from motor vehicles and theft of unattended property”.

He added that the public also needed to be mindful of who is near them when using cash points as there have been instances of distraction thefts occurring. 

Sainsbury's have a good CCTV system and their security staff are aware of this issue, said the police spokesman.

Retailers in the Turnham Green area recently signed up to a radio link to fight shoplifting in Chiswick . The TG Radio links businesses to each other, as well as to the local police, to increase quick sharing of information when a crime occurs or a suspicious person is seen.

February 17, 2012