The Met Police are urging drivers to park in a private garage if possible or to park in a well-lit open space
Leafy suburbs around North London are being hit by a new crime wave as thieves are breaking rear windscreens to steal parcel shelves from the back of cars. Residents of Primrose Hill, Kentish Town and Highgate have woken up in recent months to find windscreens smashed and the shelves gone.
It is believed they are being targeted because they are quick and easy to steal and can be swiftly sold online for up to £150. One victim, who wished to remain anonymous, says his Mercedes was targeted at around 5:30am on July 12.
The Highgate resident of four years says the thefts are particularly prominent in North Hill, View Road, and Church Road, and seem to happen every Friday night. He claims that a group are riding around on Lime bikes, smashing the windows, and selling the shelves off on eBay.
The 37-year-old resident said: “I got a notification to my phone saying that my car had been broken into. They smashed the windscreen and only took the parcel shelf. I subsequently found out that some of the neighbours had been through the same.
“I took my car into the garage to get it fixed on the same day, and the gentlemen said that he had four of my style of car with the same issue. He said that people were selling parcel shelves on eBay, and they were going out on a steal-to-order basis.
“They go and smash in the rear-view glass and steal the parcel shelves to sell them on. We believe they are using Lime bikes, smashing the windows and riding off.”
Other cars in the area that have been hit are Hyundais, Minis, Jaguars, and Vauxhalls. Now, locals say they are hiding their shelves – for which replacements can cost hundreds of pounds – inside overnight to protect their cars from the thieves.
‘All the neighbours are now keeping watch’
The anonymous resident added: “It is always shocking to hear these things, but it doesn’t surprise me. It is not only parcel shelves that people do these things with. Two weeks after my car was hit two of the neighbours were hit. I now keep my parcel shelves in the house. We felt it was safer to bring them in. All the neighbours are keeping watch for them.”
The Metropolitan Police posted about the thefts on MetEngage, an online service providing updates and information on local crime. Officers said on the page: “Having personal items stolen from your vehicle is an upsetting experience and we are determined to find and arrest those who break the law.
“Park your vehicle in a private garage if you can. If you do not have access to one, try to park in a well-lit open space. Try to use public car parks that are part of the police approved Park Mark safer parking scheme.”
The Highgate Society, a locals’ association “established for the public benefit” said: “There has been a spate of recent thefts in the North Hill area. Five times in three weeks thieves have smashed the back windows of cars, mainly in daylight, and taken the parcel shelves. Presumably, this is to sell them online where prices are considerably less than the manufacturers’ price.
“It is sensible to park in sight of a camera, if available, and one possible way to beat the current spate could be to keep parcel shelves indoors for a few weeks and of course not to leave anything valuable in your car.”
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