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Almost half of Leighton Buzzard car owners make car theft easy, according to a recent survey by a leading car company prompting action from police.
When it comes to personal possessions, Britain's motorists are more concerned about locking away their laptops than keeping their car keys safe, helping to fuel 4.2 million worth of car thefts from the home in 2008. There were such 300 car thefts in Leighton and Linslade last year.
New research from Vauxhall reveals that almost half of drivers give no thought to hiding their car keys from prying eyes, with nearly a fifth placing more importance on protecting their jewellery and art.
Nationwide, six per cent of burglaries include car theft, yet more than one in 10 drivers are guilty of leaving their car keys by the front door, with a fifth leaving them on show in the kitchen giving intruders an easy ride.
The research marks the launch of Key Safe – a joint initiative between Vauxhall and Bedfordshire Police to highlight the consequences of leaving car keys on display in the home.
Five events will run concurrently throughout Bedfordshire this Saturday from 10am-4pm with one of the events taking place here in Leighton outside Ask Restaurant (the Old Fire Station building), Market Square, Leighton.
Branded Key Safe bags will be distributed to members of the public to encourage them to keep their keys safe and out of view. At the same time, stickers for cars and homes will be given to locals to help deter potential thieves.
Chief Inspector James Goldsmith of Bedfordshire Police said: "Despite a 10 per cent reduction of burglaries across Bedfordshire during 2008, this survey confirms our own and national findings that many residents fail to take the basic steps of keeping their car keys out of sight and easy reach.
"A vehicle is often the second biggest expenditure for a household and having a vehicle stolen can cause major disruption, cost, inconvenience and emotional upset to the people concerned.
"We are pleased to be working in partnership with Vauxhall to promote Key Safe and raise awareness of how one simple action can assist in tackling this type of crime."
Simon Ewart, spokesman for Vauxhall, said: "It's easy to forget that a car key is a valuable possession that needs to be kept safe. Home car theft is a serious crime and we're committed, together with the Bedfordshire Police, to help the public tackle this problem."
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
