Vehicle break-ins are up by 15%, but S'poreans are still blase about security

[Ccssgm]

Look what some drivers are leaving exposed

Vehicle break-ins are up by 15%, but S'poreans are still blase about security

 

 

 

THE police have reminded motorists time and again against leaving valuables in plain sight when they park and leave their cars.

Posters in carparks remind motorists: 'Have you locked your vehicle? Did you leave any valuables behind?'

 

But motorists here remain cavalier about preventing theft from their vehicles, although it takes little more than ensuring that valuables are locked away in the boot or, at the very least, not left on the seats or floorboards.

 

Police figures indicate a sharp rise in the number of vehicle break-ins: Between January and March, 465 vehicles were hit, about 15 per cent more than in the preceding three months.

 

There were 1,568 car break-ins last year - four a day. Only 196 people were arrested.

 

Last week, two men were nabbed on suspicion of breaking into more than 200 vehicles. Homing in on unattended goods vehicles, the duo netted $20,000 in loot in a year.

 

A Straits Times check on more than 500 parked cars in Toa Payoh, Bishan, Serangoon and Commonwealth found one in six with something valuable left on the seats. These included sunglasses, designer bags, briefcases and cellphones.

 

Drivers guilty of this said dismissively that it was easier to leave things lying around than to stow them in the boot.

 

Mr Stanley Tan, who was in a multi-storey carpark in Bishan, was nonchalant about putting his $160 Crumpler bag 'with nothing valuable in it' out of sight, despite being warned that thieves might smash the windows of his Nissan Sunny to get it.

 

The 21-year-old, who is waiting to enter university, said: 'If they want to smash, let them smash, lah!'

 

Even former victims of car break-ins did not seem chastened.

 

Mr Ow Chun Choy, 59, lost a CashCard with $30 in it to a car thief just five months ago, but he was spotted leaving his CashCard in the in-vehicle unit (IU) at a carpark in Serangoon.

 

The factory owner put it down to inconvenience: It is troublesome to keep removing and re-inserting the CashCard, especially with more Electronic Road Pricing gantries in operation these days.

 

Delivery driver Cledwyn Chim, who also left his CashCard in his delivery van in Toa Payoh, believed that car thefts happened only after dark.

 

'This won't happen to me because I don't leave it in overnight,' he said.

 

Some do play it safe.

 

Delivery supervisor Dennis Ong, 44, who lost $2,000 worth of copper wires from his van early last year, said he now tries to park in busier, more brightly lit areas.

 

Aside from the loss of the wires, the company he worked for had to pay $100 to replace the cut rubber gasket and rear window of the van.

 

Mr Ong said: 'It would help if there were more closed-circuit television cameras in the carparks.'

 

The police keep reminding motorists that the best course of action is to put valuables out of sight.

 

As technical officer Veloo Vengadasalam, 58, said: 'The public is also at fault if they invite trouble.'

 

A Straits Times check on 527 vehicles in carparks across the island found 95 to have valuables inside - that translates to about one in six drivers. Here are what some people left in the backseats of their cars: VIDEO CAMERA

 

 

 

 

[Apollo]

fwah.. this leeporter is so fake. take foto also neber remember to wind up the windows. no reflection of camera flash or sunlight shades, etc.

 

so fake...

[Comfy]

sometimes they are too much in comfort zone to keep this stuff out of sight... let them learn the hard way lor..

[Nullifi3d]

"The 21-year-old, who is waiting to enter university, said: 'If they want to smash, let them smash, lah!'"

 

Soon you'll see this prick logging into "some" car forums in "some" Complaints section ranting about how his window got smashed and cursing the theifs' families into hell etc etc.

 

Didn't know one of the criteria to enter universities is to be a Prick.

[Blackyv]

the main purpose of this report is to divert the facts that more social problem arises due to recent rise in almost everything but to push the blame of such happening increase to "drivers" themselves.....what's new.... problem always created by peasants mah...

 

and i do agree those photos r so fake..... can take close shoot somemore of the sony digital camera till the edge of seat..!!!... which car has such a wide gap btw seat and door IF the door is closed with that angle of shot..........

[Ccssgm]

Show Off Finish Faster

[Ccssgm]

The 21-year-old, who is waiting to enter university, said: 'If they want to smash, let them smash, lah!'"

 

 

Of Course Damage Not pay By Me

Claim Insurance

[Hondaman]

I think fellow drivers in Singapore should be more aware of this.

Don

[Ccssgm]

Day Robbery

 

So fierce

[Albeniz]

I only leave pails on the rear seat after manually washing my lau pok car.

 

Do you think the thieves will break in to steal my pails?

 

Times are bad.

Edited June 10, 2008 by Albeniz

[Tigershark1976]

well, I always believe that prevention is always better than cure.. i go in and out to Malaysia very often. I even hear and see myself others car get smashed just for the sake of a few dollar coins there. Thats y i dun leave any valuable in the car. even the coins were kept in the drawer.

[Celicapimp]

"The 21-year-old, who is waiting to enter university, said: 'If they want to smash, let them smash, lah!'"

 

Soon you'll see this prick logging into "some" car forums in "some" Complaints section ranting about how his window got smashed and cursing the theifs' families into hell etc etc.

 

there is already one

 

http://www.mycarforum.com/forum/General_C1...C/b%3E_P2383517

[Celicapimp]

I was at JB custom during lunch time around 1pm.Along the lane whereby many taxis are waiting for passengers, I saw policemen searching a malaysian car there.Anyone saw?Looks like some robbery case.

[Ccssgm]

2 cars broken into at basement carparks

 

A LAPTOP computer and a laptop bag containing clothes were stolen on Wednesday after two cars were broken into less than 1km away from each other.

 

At about 2pm that day, a man in his mid-20s parked and secured his car at the basement carpark of Rochor Centre. When he returned about three hours later, he found his right passenger window smashed and his laptop bag missing from the rear seat.

 

Later that day at about 6.30pm, a man in his mid-40s parked and secured his car at the basement carpark of Sim Lim Square.

 

When he returned about an hour later, he discovered his left passenger window smashed and his laptop missing from the rear seat.

 

Another Careless Driver [smash]

[Mzrmazda3]

Sekali these thieves need your pails to soak their clothings ...

[Robin]

ever since my school bag got stolen from the car years ago .. imagine that person so desperate, my school bag also wanna steal... i make sure i keep all my stuff out of sight before leaving the car

[Ccssgm]

I always left my laptop behind Boot

[Robin]

before u keep, look around u to make sure nobody see u put inside