Take good care of your car’s security

As a younger uniformed officer I was clocking up 130 miles a week riding from my old house in Mansfield to the station at Bulwell.

I’d passed my test and got about in police cars while I was on duty, but otherwise, I was on my bike.

But all that changed when I met curvy red-head Vanessa. She was an E-reg Vauxhall Cavalier. I’ve rarely touched my bike since.

After cycling come rain or shine, day shift or night shift, road or off-road, perhaps I appreciate my car more than most, but I can honestly say I have always locked-up, and never left desirable items on display.

In West Bassetlaw, vehicle crime is up by 22 per cent, with a particular spike in thefts from vehicles in more rural areas, such as Carlton-in-Lindrick and Langold.

We live busy lives and sometimes it’s hard to remember everything, but consider the repercussions if you forget to lock you car door or leave your bag or sat nav on show inside and someone takes advantage of this.

Do you have the time to arrange for a smashed window to be fixed, or cancel all your bank cards and wait for replacements, or go through a claim on your insurance which may not even be valid if your door was left unlocked? I certainly don’t. With Vanessa long gone and Sven the Saab having taken her place I’m just as diligent with car security.