Theft of a Catalytic converter in Ridgeway Drive

A resident in Ridgeway Drive has had the catalytic converter stolen from their car whilst it was parked on their drive. This happened between Wednesday 27th and Thursday 28th November.

On 22nd November Police in Bromley alerted residents to a recent rise in the theft of catalytic converters across the borough. Over recent months there has been a significant increase in these thefts, with Bromley suffering from the highest number of these thefts across London - over 60 in the last nine weeks.

The Mercedes Sprinter van, VW Sharan, Seat Albrahama, Ford Galaxy and Peugeot 406 are the most targeted vehicles, with the thieves favouring vehicles such as people carriers, 4x4’s or commercial vans as the ground clearance of the vehicle makes it easier to access the catalytic converter.

The thieves are stealing converters – located in the exhaust system under the vehicle – because of the high value of the precious metals they contain and while the theft of the converter can net the offender around £60.00 per vehicle, the costs to the owner to replace the item can run to several hundred pounds, particularly if substantial damage has been caused to the vehicle by the removal of the converter, and there’s the inconvenience of the vehicle being off the road.

PC Mark Russell from Bromley Police said "To reduce the risk of theft of your car's catalytic converter, please garage your car whenever possible or park in well-lit busy areas. Park your vehicles defensively - if you own multiple vehicles use those with the lowest ground clearance to block those with a higher clearance. If all your vehicles have a high clearance park them very close together."

Etching a catalytic converter with a serial number will help police link a stolen converter to a specific vehicle and overtly advertising that a vehicle is protected by property marking may also deter offenders, as it will reduce the opportunities for selling the converters to reputable scrap metal dealers. Advice on marking converters can be seen on the AA website at http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/security/catalytic-converter-theft.html

Please be vigilant in your neighbourhood and report any suspicious activity straight away to your local neighbourhood team on 101 or if you believe a crime is in progress call 999.

If you would like to pass on information but wish to remain anonymous then call Crimestoppers on 0800-500-111"