Victims of vehicle crime will be visited by investigating officers as police crack down on car thieves.

Police this week launched a blitz across the Bradford district in a bid to drive down vehicle crime with a number of initiatives to tackle the problem.

A policy to target priority crimes has seen house burglaries and robberies plummet. Now police hope to do the same with thefts of and from vehicles.

Across the Bradford South, Bradford North and Keighley divisions, teams of officers are targeting vehicle-crime hot-spots, using high-tech Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems to stop stolen cars or vehicles known to have been involved in crimes and arrest known criminals.

Senior officers are also now insisting that an investigating officer visits all victims of vehicle crime instead of taking a crime report over the phone, to reassure them the crime is being actively pursued.

Police are also trying to get the crime-prevention message across. They are handing out free or cut-price crook locks and leaflet information.

Scores of crook locks reduced from £70 to £10 are being handed out in supermarket car parks and around the Bradford Royal Infirmary area, a hot spot for vehicle crime. A further 500, not suitable for cars with airbags, are being handed out free from Eccleshill police station until 8pm today. A yellow advice bus is touring the district.

In the Keighley division patrolling police and Police Community Support Officers will be watching out for vehicles with property left on show. They will then write to the owners with crime-prevention information. Exhibition vans are also touring Keighley, Ilkley, Bingley and Shipley town centres.

Inspector Adrian Lyles, one of the pro-active action co-ordinators for the Bradford district, said: "There is a downward trend in vehicle crime, but it continues to be a problem.

"We are trying to apply the same vigorous techniques to it as we have for domestic burglary and robbery. All three divisions are teaming up to make the best use of resources towards the common end of a reduction in vehicle crime."

Insp Lyles said the public had a part to play - mainly through the removal of property on display in their vehicles.

He said: "Things like coats, handbags and even sunglasses are still being left in vehicles and passing thieves simply break a window and steal it."

He said older G- to L-registered vehicles, with less sophisticated alarm systems, were particular targets for car thieves.

"If you have got a crook lock attached to your steering wheel the car is not going to get taken," he said. "And if a thief can see from the car parked in your drive that you are security-conscious he is less likely to try and burgle your house."

He urged people to make sure their house doors and windows were locked and keep their car keys out of sight because many thieves sneaked into homes, took the car keys and drove off with the vehicle.

The advice bus will today be at the BRI car park until 4pm, on Thursday at Sainsbury's at Greengates between 9am and 4pm, and on Friday at Tesco's, Canal Road, from 9am until 12.30pm.

e-mail: steve.wright

@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

ENDS