Police officers to hand out dusters in battle against sat nav thieves
Released on = July 4, 2007, 9:52 am
Press Release Author = Jimwatson
Industry = Real Estate
Press Release Summary = Thousands of yellow dusters are to be handed out to motorists in Gloucestershire as part of a crackdown on thefts of satellite navigation (sat nav) devices, it has been revealed.
Press Release Body = Thousands of yellow dusters are to be handed out to motorists in Gloucestershire as part of a crackdown on thefts of satellite navigation (sat nav) devices, it has been revealed.
The initiative is the brainchild of Gloucestershire constabulary, which intends to give out 2,500 complimentary dusters and encourage sat nav retailers to stock some on their shelves.
It is hoped that the dusters will remind motorists about the importance of wiping off the sucker marks that sat navs typically leave on car windscreens, which can alert opportunist thieves to the fact that there may be valuables inside.
Indeed, a host of crime-prevention tips have been printed on the cloth to ensure that car owners minimise the risk of becoming just another crime statistic.
Gloucestershire police have come up with the scheme in order to clamp down on the rising problem of sat nav thefts in the region.
According to official police figures, there were six sat nav thefts reported during the whole of 2005.
Fast-forward to 2007, however, and a total of 18 sat navs were stolen in May alone, some car owners may be concerned to learn.
Paul Francis, crime reduction officer at Gloucestershire police, has acknowledged that sat nav theft is \"quite a problem\" in the county at present.
To combat the problem, he has also reaffirmed the importance of motorists taking basic preventative measures.
\"One of the easiest ways to crime-proof your car and stop your expensive navigation system from being stolen is to remove the equipment altogether but to also wipe off the sucker mark left on the windscreen,\" he said.
\"The sucker mark can act as a beacon to thieves and they will target your car on the assumption that a sat nav has been left in the glove box.
\"So even if you have removed the device, you will still be left with a smashed window.\"
In other news, it was recently revealed that the next generation of sat navs will feature up-to-date traffic bulletins, which could potentially provide a further sales fillip for sellers of the direction-finding devices.
Sat nav specialist TomTom and telecommunications firm Vodafone UK have announced that they are teaming up to develop a new service, which will give minute-by-minute updates on which UK roads are experiencing heavy congestion.
The bulletins, which are not expected to be introduced until the first half of 2008, will be made available on new TomTom sat navs.
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