Police encourage victims to report incidents

Crooks pounced on cars in a spate of thefts from vehicles in Ottery.

Residents in Higher Spring Gardens and St Budeaux Close were among four vehicle owners who woke to find criminals had struck in the early hours of last Friday.

Among the victims were Sandra Baker and husband Robert, who had his wallet stolen from the glove compartment of his Volvo XC90.

The couple cancelled their cards immediately, but found £60 had been spent on petrol and a Virgin Media bill.

Mrs Baker said thieves also rummaged through her work van, taking a pair of Beats headphones and a Tag Heuer watch belonging to a friend.

Sergeant Pete Boorn, of Ottery’s neigbourhood policing team, confirmed four cars had been broken into and said the bank card from one vehicle had been used - which gave officers a potential line of investigation.

He said: “We would encourage people to be safety-aware and lock up cars and houses.

“We would definitely like to hear if anyone else is the victim of crime.”

Sgt Boorn urged victims to report any break-ins or attempted break-ins to police so they can build a picture of crime in the area and deal with it accordingly.