THE theft of a camera from a car in East Cowes has prompted police to launch an investigation and warn drivers to be alert.
The camera, a silver Konica Minolta Dimage Z5, was taken from a vehicle parked in a drive at Cadets Walk between 1pm last Thursday, and 8am on Friday.
Officers have appealed for witnesses, who may have seen anything suspicious, to get in touch.
They have also warned people not to leave anything in their car.
Anyone with information can contact police on 101 or Mini-Com users can dial (01962) 875000.
They also issued the following advice:
Choose a stereo that can be removed and make sure you take it with you. You should also mark it with your registration number or postcode in case it is stolen.
Thieves are not picky so don’t leave even low-value items in the car. Often thieves will smash and grab first and look later to see if what they have stolen is valuable.
Don’t hide it — if you hide your items under the seat or in the glove box, chances are someone will have watched you. If you cannot avoid leaving something in your car, put it in your boot before you begin your journey.
Don’t leave valuables in your car for even a minute, as it only take a few seconds to smash a window and get what they want so don’t take the chance.
Your car isn’t safe on your driveway. Almost half of all incidents where items are stolen from cars happen when they are parked overnight, close to the owner’s home.
Don’t leave your house keys or anything with your address on it in the vehicle. Someone could steal your keys and let themselves into your home.
For other crime prevention tips, visit www.hampshire.police.uk/Internet/news/campaigns/safervehicles.htm
Reporter: ross.findon@iwcp.co.uk