Report car thefts and we will act, say Oswestry police

Dozens of reports have been made about thefts and attempted thefts from vehicles in and around the Oswestry area, on a regular basis since the turn of the year.

Just this week a van was broken into in Llanforda Rise, and a car had bottles of Lucozade stolen from inside after thieves broke their way into the vehicle.

Despite reports on social media and community Facebook pages, local policing inspector in Oswestry, Tracey Ryan, has urged people to report incidents to the police so they can tackle the problem.

She said: "What could be the case is the incidents are happening, but people aren't reporting them to the police.

"Since the New Year we have had 12 reports of theft in the area, but they are very random and not specifically related to cars.

"We are on patrol but we have to prioritise incidents that are of the highest risk and these types of thefts are not one of them.

"We haven't had as many reports since the new year, and maybe that is down to people not reporting them because they think all they will get is a crime reference number.

"You need to report the incidents so we can take action."

Local inspector Ryan insisted there had been a spike in car thefts in the run up to Christmas, however the individual in that matter had been arrested and there had since been a drop off in reports.

However comments on social media suggest attempted thefts and car thefts are still taking place.

Earlier this month Graeme Sutton, who lives in Jasmine Close believed a bin man was near his house in the early hours of the morning, but then discovered his Mercedes car had been broken into.