Sponsored by
Thieves face the music as drivers 'tag' stereos
Crime File Beat the criminals from your door By Bruce Smith
A CHANCE for motorists to safeguard CD or cassette players cheaply is being offered in a tie-up between police, the Safer Leeds partnership, an electronics firm and the Benfield Ford car dealership.
The system, in which radios, CD and radio cassettes players can be electronically chipped, will enable police to identify the owners of recovered stolen equipment or establish whether units in suspect vehicles have been previously stolen.
It is similar to 'tagging' pet dogs but has an additional benefit of a deterrent effect to thieves due to warning stickers placed on vehicles.
Thefts of CD players and stereos represent half of all items stolen from motor vehicles.
Initially drivers of Fords will be able to have the electronic chips installed labour-free at Benfield's York Road and Guiseley branches under the scheme set up by police crime reduction officers from the Pudsey-Weetwood, Chapeltown, Killingbeck and City-Holbeck divisions. Owners of other makes with complexradio fittings may be asked to pay an installation fee.
In the four Leeds police divisions an average of 25 cars are broken into daily and about half of these will have their CD players stolen. About one quarter of these offences are detected.
Registered
Chief Supt Howard Crowther, divisional commander of the Chapeltown Division, said he was keen to support the scheme and his division would be donating the first 50 electronic chips. These would be split between the two installation sessions.
The tiny electronic chip which has a unique reference number and which can be concealed inside a car stereo, has been developed by Datatag ID Limited.
The reference number and the music system, vehicle and registered owner to whom it refers is recorded on Datatag's secure database.
Police officers will be supplied with equipment to scan vehicle stereos which may have been recovered separately or those installed on a suspicious vehicle subjected to a spot-check to establish whether they are stolen.
When car stereos are reported stolen, the Datatag reference number will be transferred to the police computer records.
If the scanner displays a number the mobile police officer will be able to check that reference number against any recorded on police computer. If it is believed it may have been stolen so recently the owner may not have had chance to report the theft, the officer will be able to check the number against the Datatag database.
It is hoped that by increasing the chance of prosecution, thieves and receivers of stolen property will find such items less desirable to steal and more difficult to sell.
The knock-on effect of this should be a reduction in thefts from motor vehicles and the cost and inconvenience this causes to owners in insurance claims and garage bills for damage caused.
Part of the strategy will be increased targeting of suspect vehicles by police patrols.
A special introductory deal is being offered in which vehicle owners can purchase the electronic tag/ID system fully fitted for as little as 6 (normally 10 plus VAT, not including fitting)
Sessions
Please contact Benfield Ford Service Reception to book an appointment: York Road Garage on 0113-200 9500, Guiseley Garage on 01943 875221 Two inital separate introduction sessions will be held. The first at the York Road premises on September 24 and the second at Benfield Ford's Guiseley base on the morning of October 1.
Though 400 letters have been sent out to vehicle owners who have had their car stereos or CD players stolen in the last 18months, the response has been disappointing so far.
Factfile
Top Tips
The police are offering sensible advice to safeguard valuable car hi-fi equipment
l If you can do so, remove the front of your CD player.
l If you have a garage use it to lock your vehicle away
l Remove all valuable items when leaving your vehicle
l Remove all vehicle related documents.
l Always lock your doors and close windows,even if leaving your vehicle for a couple of minutes.
l Where possible use an accredited Safer Car Park when parking in town centres (check theWest Yorks Police website)
l Buy and use a car security device such as a steering wheel lock.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
