Police have warned of cars being broken into while parked at Manchester's Trafford Centre.
Range Rovers and Ford Fiestas are two of many models being targeted in a wave of vehicle thefts in the shopping centre car park. Thieves are said to be using signal jamming and scanning devices in order to pull off the crime.
Since January 10th, 11 arrests have already been made by officers including one vehicle being retrieved. Greater Manchester Police have launched 'Operation Lexford' in a bid to tackle the rising thefts. They will be working closely with the Trafford Centre security team and ensuring a larger police presence in the area over the coming months.
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Chief Inspector Shoheb Chowdhury of GMP’s Trafford District, said: “This operation is an excellent example of GMP’s commitment to tackling vehicle crime across Greater Manchester. A lot of the work GMP does to tackle the issue may not be visible but catching those responsible remains a force priority, Manchester Evening News reported.
“Cars are of great value to people and we understand that having a car stolen can have a huge impact both financially and emotionally. As part of the operation, there will be an increased police presence at Trafford Centre and we will be holding weekly police surgeries with focus on providing people with tailored crime prevention advice.
"We will continue to work to bring offenders to justice, but I would ask that the public to help us to help them, by being vigilant when visiting the Trafford Centre, and to follow our simple crime prevention advice found on the crime prevention page on our website."
A spokesperson from Trafford Centre said, “Our security and customer services teams take car theft very seriously and we are working closely with Greater Manchester Police on this issue. We minimise car theft on-site through the use of ANPR, CCTV and camera patrols so all vehicles entering and leaving the car parks are monitored and logged.
“This data and footage is made available to GMP as required. We also deploy high profile patrols in all car parks to deter thieves and run multiple police operations on-site to apprehend offenders.”
Police have advised motorists to double-check check their doors are locked, hide valuables or invest in a steering wheel lock or tracking device before leaving their car unattended.
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