Urgent warning for drivers as thieves target specific type of popular car – here’s all you need to know
THIEVES are targeting a certain type of popular car, drivers have been warned.
Motorists are baffled as cops warn of theft from one of the smallest and most modest cars in Britain – the Fiat 500.
Staffordshire Police said today that since last Friday nine separate incidents were reported involving Fiat 500 and Fiat 500 Abarths in Burton-on-Trent.
This included three thefts and six attempted thefts.
The thieves are targeting the 140-inch-long cars typically between 4pm and 2am.
They have even been forcing into car parks in the local area.
One white Fiat 500 was reported stolen at 7pm on Friday 3 March after the owner had parked it in a parking lot.
Thieves forced entry whilst the car was left unattended – and drove it away from the area without the keys.
Another white Fiat 500 was also stolen without keys from a street yesterday.
That’s not all – a white Fiat Abarth was stolen two days ago without keys, from the driveway of a home in the area.
Detective Inspector Andy Bryan said “Our dedicated vehicle crime team are continuing to proactively police our roads as part of our Operation Bormus initiative to target this area of criminality and protect the hard-earned belongings of our community.”
This is not the first time car thefts have hit the headlines.
One holidaymaker claimed his BMW was driven 2,000 miles, parked illegally, and written off after he left it with Heathrow parking service.
Ravi Joshi left his BMW 5 Series with the meet-and-greet parking firm Universal Terminal Ltd when he flew to India with his family to visit his sick mother in December 2022.
Meanwhile, this woman had to track down her own stolen car after cops failed to find it.
But the series of Fiat 500 thefts has prompted police to warn owners of the car.
Surprisingly, the much-loved car model didn’t make the list of most stolen cars in the UK back in 2022.
With Ford Fiesta thefts rising 53% in 2022, Britain’s most popular car is also the most stolen, The Sun reported.
But drivers are still urged to take care over their vehicles to prevent theft.
There’s plenty of ways to stay safe and protect your car from thieves.
Here’s some nifty hacks to avoid any incidents.
Top tips to prevent car theft
- Use a steering lock on the car to deter thieves
- In extreme cases, putting your car keys in a Faraday case and then inside a microwave should help block the key’s signal, making it impossible for thieves to amplify it
- Keep keys away from windows – out of sight of thieves who want to chance it
- Other tactics include keeping cars off the road – such as in a garage or on a drive – and making sure both are locked.