Sat-nav car thefts soar in London

Police warn against leaving sat-nav units in empty cars, even if hidden

The theft of satellite navigation devices from cars in London has soared by 154% in the last 12 months.

There were 11,043 sat-nav units stolen in the current financial year up to February - up from 4,345 in 2005/06, Metropolitan Police figures reveal.

The borough of Newham, in east London, recorded the biggest total with 741 offences, a 151% rise on 2005/06.

A police spokesman said the increase mirrored similar rises in thefts of high value goods such as ipods.

"These are seen as easy pickings for thieves," he told the BBC News website.

SAT-NAV THEFTS 2006/07 Croydon 289 offences (58) Ealing 648 (227) Islington 309 (175) Kensington/Chelsea 336 (105) Lewisham 158 (46) Tower Hamlets 353 (155) in brackets: 2005/06 figures source: Metropolitan Police

A sat-nav cradle or the suction cup markings can indicate there may be one of the gadgets hidden somewhere, police have warned.

But they said thieves were now using hi-tech tracking technology to enable them to find out whether a device was kept out of view.

"We will always advise people to remove sat-nav units where possible when leaving their vehicle," the spokesman said.

The figures were obtained from a request made under the Freedom of Information Act.