POLICE are appealing for witnesses following a series of thefts from vehicles in East Swindon.

Between July 14 and September 13, 17 incidents have been reported across the East Swindon sector.

These have taken place across the whole sector but the main hotspot is Liden with some offences taking place in Eldene and Park South.

In 16 of the 17 incidents, offenders have smashed either a side window or quarter light of the vehicle to gain access.

In 12 of the offences, power tools have been stolen from inside the vehicle. Stolen tools include drills, disc cutters, nail guns and saws.

A common brand being stolen are Makita drills, while other stolen property has included wallets, mobile phones and a laptop.

13 of the vehicles targeted were small work vans and the other 4 were cars.

Most of the incidents have taken place between midnight and 6am.

PCSO Paul Outlaw said: "Clearly, this series of thefts will be concerning for the East Swindon community but I would like to reassure them that we are taking this very seriously and a robust police investigation is well underway.

"I would urge anyone with information on these incidents to contact us immediately.

"There are some simple security measures that vehicle owners can take to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of theft.

"The easiest is to make sure no tools are left in their vehicle overnight."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where information can be left anonymously.

In order to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of this type of crime, officers recommend that you adhere to the following security advice:

• Make sure that when park your vehicle you lock the doors and close all the windows. Even a slightly opened sunroof can provide a thief with a quick and simple way to break in.
• Don’t be tempted to leave anything in your vehicle including tools, laptops, wallets, phones, sat navs, sports bags or shopping. Even if you’re just popping to the newsagent or into the school to collect your child, a thief only needs a matter of seconds to break in and steal your belongings.
• If you regularly use electronic devices which have sucker mounted brackets that attach to the windscreen, please ensure that you wipe away the sucker marks. Thieves will look for these marks hoping that the devices are inside.
• Even when you are at home, make sure that your vehicle is securely locked. While you are out of sight it will only take a few seconds for a thief to look for something valuable.
• Register your sat navs, car audios, tools and other property for free via www.immobilise.com. By registering your property with this site, it will make the process of reuniting you with your property easier, should it be stolen.