Birmingham Police turn their hand to crime

Police in Birmingham are taking a hands-on approach to crime prevention in the city by having a go at “car-jamming.”

They are hoping to raise awareness about the crime where thieves spot valuables inside a car when it is stopped at a junction and quickly open the door and steal the items.

Sgt Andrew Lewis, one of the policemen involved in the initiative, said: “Opening people’s car doors while they are stopped at the traffic lights is a bit of a shock tactic to make drivers stop and think although this time it is a police officer opening their door, next time it could be a thief.”

The police said that more car-jamming crimes take place in the winter months when there are longer hours of darkness as there is less chance of the perpetrator being identified.

Motorists are encouraged to hide their valuables and lock their doors whilst travelling in urban areas to reduce the likelihood that they will become a victim of crime.

There are many thousands of car crimes a year in the UK, although the exact figure is difficult to estimate as many minor crimes are thought to go unreported. Much of the property stolen is never recovered, resulting in 350,000 of car insurance claims which cost the motor insurance industry over £500 million each year.

webmaster@hootcarinsurance.co.uk

*A replacement car can usually be arranged under any of the following conditions:

1.Non fault accident – where we have the name, car registration number and insurance details of the person who caused the accident, we will supply a replacement car on a credit hire basis. This means the charges for this service will be passed onto the insurance company of the person who was responsible for the accident. This service may not be available where we are unable to get an admission of liability from their insurance company, or wherethe driver is unknown or uninsured.

2.If you have comprehensive insurance, a replacement car may be available under the terms of your insurance policy. Please check your policy details for more information.

3.The repairing garage may be able to provide a replacement car. This is subject to availability.

Young driver car insurance