How to protect yourself and your car

Here are our top tips:

- Remove valuables from the car

Take your satellite-navigation, car stereo and personal belongings out of a car. If you can`t take them with you, hide them in the boot or under the seats. Wipe sucker marks off the windscreen and be wary of fitting sat nav brackets to the dashboard - there have been many reported cases of opportunist thieves breaking into vehicles on the off-chance that the sat nav handset is hidden inside.

- Keep doors locked

Lock your doors and close your windows when leaving your vehicle unattended and keep doors locked whilst driving. This stops thieves from grabbing your personal belongings off your seat whilst you are waiting at traffic lights or stuck in a queue.

- Never leave documents in a vehicle

Don`t store documents such as your driving licence and vehicle registration document in the vehicle.

- Fit an approved alarm

Cars with security equipment are said to be ten times safer than those without it - so make sure you use the equipment if you have it. If you don`t have it, it`s worth investing in.

- Fit an immobiliser

Electronic engine immobilisers will make life difficult for thieves as they prevent hot-wiring. They tend to be factory fitted as standard to new cars.

- Fit a tracker to performance or prestige models

Fitting a GPS vehicle tracker means that your vehicle will be tracked and recovered as soon as it triggers as stolen. It`s a worthwhile investment for performance and prestige models and can earn you a discount off your insurance premiums too.

- Use additional security devices as deterrents

Steering wheel locks are a good deterrent, as are gear-stick locks. Also use locking wheel nuts to prevent thieves targeting your alloy wheels.

- Park with security in mind

Use a garage for overnight parking if possible, otherwise park in a well-lit area rather than in the shadows.

- Registration etching

Have your registration etched into the windows and headlights making it more difficult for the car to be sold with false number plates.

- Prevent car jacking

Wear your seatbelt at all times as car jacking relies on speed and a seatbelt slows down the process of parting you from your car. When stopped in traffic, leave enough room to manoeuvre so that you can pull round the car in front if you feel threatened. Never open the door of your car to talk to strangers, or roll down your window the whole way - by rolling down the window slightly you prevent an attacker from reaching in and opening your door, snatching your jewellery or robbing you at knifepoint.

What if your keys are lost or stolen?

Do not leave car keys by the front door of your home or by a window where they are easily reached by thieves. Thieves often use sticks to reach for keys through a letterbox. Store them out of sight and never leave them in the ignition of a car.