Telford hospital considering more cameras after catalytic converter thefts

The NHS worker said her car had been targeted by thieves while it was parked at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH).

There have been other reports of thieves targeting cars parked at the hospital, while police also issued a warning over an increasing number of catalytic converter thefts across the county just this week. Catalytic converters are targeted by thieves because they contain valuable metal.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which manages PRH, has said it is looking at whether it can install more cameras to monitor the cars.

The worker, whose car had been targeted twice in recent weeks, said the thefts had cost her £700, around half her month's wages.

She called on the hospital to provide more security, given that staff pay to park at the site.

Widespread

Julia Clarke, director of corporate services at SaTH, said: “It is extremely upsetting that these thefts have occurred, especially on hospital sites where staff are busy caring for patients and the public are coming for treatment or to visit those that are unwell.

“Catalytic converter thefts are sadly becoming a widespread issue. Not only have we been alerted to incidents at our hospitals but they are also occurring in other areas of Shropshire as well as many other hospitals across the country.

“We take these incidents extremely seriously and will always work with the police to secure a prosecution. Our security teams are alert to the problem and have shared security camera footage with police.

“We have CCTV cameras covering our hospitals grounds, and to further increase the security of our sites we are looking to improve the coverage by exploring ways to fund additional cameras. We are also looking at investing in more security guards to try and provide a more consistent coverage of our grounds.

“We are urging both staff and public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately to our parking office, our security teams and the police.”