Police hunt after high performance car thefts

Wiltshire Police are appealing for witnesses following the theft of vehicles from Purton and Shalbourne.

A black BMW M340i was stolen from a property on Pavenhill, Purton between 10.30pm on November 20 and 2.30am on November 21.

Then sometime between midnight on Saturday (23/11) morning and 8.30am a grey BMW X5 was stolen from the property. Both incidents involved properties being broken into and the car keys taken.

This follows thefts from Highworth, Swindon, Chilton Foliat and Luckington.

• If you have information that could help with the enquiry, please contact Wiltshire Police on 101 quoting reference number 54240137423.
• You can also contact Wiltshire Police through their website: Report a crime | Wiltshire Police
• Alternatively, you can leave information anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Wiltshire Police encourage car owners to consider taking the below precautions to ensure their vehicles are kept safe:

• KEYS: Keep the keys safe by hiding them out of sight when at home, and away from your front door. It’s not uncommon for car keys to be stolen from inside your home by thieves fishing for them with a stick and hook through the letterbox.
• PARKING: if you have a second vehicle, consider parking it behind your more expensive vehicle to protect it.
• IN-CAR SECURITY: Additional physical security inside the car can help to prevent your vehicle being driven away even if a thief gains entry, such as steering locks, pedal boxes and gear stick locks.
• LIGHTING: Motion lighting outside of your property can be a deterrent to possible thieves.
• TRACKER: Consider fitting a tracker in a hidden location on the vehicle to increase the chance of recovering the vehicle if it is stolen.

For more advice, visit Preventing car and vehicle theft | Crime Prevention | Wiltshire Police