Dawlish News
Teignmouth and Dawlish Police
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Emerging Trend ~ Catalytic Converter thefts on the rise
Since April 2021 there has been an increase in the theft of catalytic converters across the force, in South Devon there have been over 40.
2 reports of catalytic converters thefts have been in the Teignmouth area in the last 5 days.
Honda, Toyota and Mazda are the target vehicles.
Prevention Advice: -
• Park close to fences, walls or a kerb with the exhaust being closest to the fence, wall or kerb to make the theft more difficult.
• Avoid parking your vehicle half on the pavement and half on the road, as this may make it easier for thieves to access the catalytic converter.
• You can even purchase a ‘cage clamp’ which is a cage device that locks in around the converter to make it more difficult to remove. Toyota are offering a 'Catloc'. Please contact your Toyota dealership for more information.
• Speak to your dealership about the possibility of installing a Thatcham approved alarm and tilt sensor that will activate the alarm should any thief try to jack the vehicle up to steal the converter.
• Some Trackers purchased on-line have a vibration alert that will send a text to your mobile phone to alert you there has been movement.
We are actively policing the road networks, focusing on the vehicles they are using to move around in, which are often on false plates.
If you see someone acting suspiciously under a vehicle, report it to the Police, help us to detect and prevent this crime by obtaining as much information as possible, including the vehicle registration of the suspects vehicle.
