Advice for Beating Sat Nav Theives

"Don’t lose your satellite navigation equipment to car thieves" says Avon and Somerset Police. Here's what they say.

With satellite navigation equipment become more popular with motorists, it is also becoming more popular with criminals.

Where it’s portable, keep it safe by taking it, together with the support cradle and suction pads, with you when you leave the car, and remember to wipe away any suction pad marks left on the windscreen or dashboard, as thieves will look out for these.

Don’t leave the equipment in the glove compartment – thieves will usually check there first.

You can also help by following these tips:

· Mark your satellite navigation equipment system with your postcode and house number or your vehicle registration number or another unique number, using special security markers.

· Make a note of the make, model and serial number of the equipment and keep the note somewhere safe – not in the car. Consider recording this information on one of the commercially available asset registers.

· Don’t leave anything on view in your car. Thieves are opportunists and it only takes them moments to break into the vehicle.

· Lock all doors and windows, not forgetting the sunroof, when leaving your car.

· Never leave the keys in the ignition when the car is unattended, even while you’re paying for petrol.

· Use car parks that are part of the police-approved Safer Parking Scheme. Approved car parks display the official “Park Mark” sign.