Unlocked vehicles are an open invitation for criminals looking for easy pickings, said Inspector Guy Thompson of the Dover Community Safety Unit.
Overnight on Friday (20 November 2015) six cars in Temple Ewell were targeted by thieves who stole sat navs, sunglasses and cash.
"Unfortunately a number of these offences could have been avoided if people had made sure their vehicles were secure" said Inspector Thompson.
"We are also urging people not to leave valuables in their cars. They may think it's enough to hide items in glove compartments, but it takes literally seconds for a thief to search a car."
Car crime over the weekend included:
- A sat nav, sunglasses and an MP3 player and charger worth a total of £270 were stolen from an Audi A3 parked in Church Hill, Temple Ewell, in the early hours of Saturday morning 21 November.
- A sat nav worth £100 was taken from the glove box of a Ford Fiesta parked in Lower Road, Temple Ewell, between 3pm on Friday 20 November and 5.30pm the following day.
- Two Hyundai cars parked in the driveway of a house in Templar Road, Temple Ewell, were searched in the early hours of Saturday morning 21 November. Loose change and a key were stolen from one of them.
- Two cars, a Land Rover Freelander and a Nissan Qashqai, which were parked in another driveway in Templar Road, Temple Ewell, were also searched in the early hours of Saturday morning 21 November. A torch worth £10 was stolen from the Nissan.
- Two pairs of sunglasses worth £45 were stolen from a Fiat Punto parked in Woods Place, Dover, between midnight on Friday 20 November and 5.48am the following day.
Inspector Thompson said officers were linking the Temple Ewell thefts and asked anyone with information about the incidents or who saw anyone acting suspiciously around parked cars on Saturday night to phone Kent Police on 01843 222289 or Kent Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting reference ZY/36961/15.
He added: "Our advice is to always lock the doors and close the windows and sunroof of your car whenever you leave it - even if it's only for a few minutes - and never leave valuables in it."
