Security warning for motorists

Motorists are being urged to take extra care to ensure their cars are left secure after a spate of thefts in Ollerton.

Twelve cars in the Forest Road area were broken into in one night. Items including sat-navs and MP3 players were taken.

A 28-year-old-man, Mark Standage, of no fixed abode, admitted the thefts and was sentenced to a ten-month community order at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

In a separate incident the previous week, six cars were broken into in one night.

Sergeant Brendon Hunt, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “It caused uproar in the area so we wanted to reassure people that we are doing something about it.”

He said although thieves often targeted vehicles with items on display, in this case some of the cars broken into had nothing on show but had their glove boxes raided.

He said Ollerton had not been a car crime hotspot in the past and that the police were working to ensure that remained the case.

“We have not had major car crime problems around Ollerton before, just isolated incidents,” he said.

“We always have a team of Police Community Support Officers on patrol who look for things that are on display in cars and advise the owners to keep them out of sight, but they can’t be everywhere all the time so sometimes these things are unavoidable.”

He said a letter drop had taken place in the areas where cars had been targeted, advising residents how to keep their vehicles secure.

He said drivers should ensure their vehicles were secure at all times, should not leave anything on display, and take valuables out of the glove box.