In this day and age, everybody has the luxury of being able to drive a car, whether it be manual or automatic. In 2020, 80% of people aged 17 and over held a full driver’s license in the UK. Cars play a vital role in our society, connecting people with their families and jobs.
However, in the last few years car burglaries have skyrocketed, leaving people feeling unsafe and worried about leaving their cars parked in open areas like driveways or on streets. One area that has been severely affected by this is the peaceful town of Chorleywood. This area had been safe for years, being nominated as the 60th safest town in England, Wales, and Scotland. However, in February 2020, Chorleywood was named the worst town in Hertfordshire for vehicle crimes.
This problem has only gotten worse in the town, as more people are saying that their cars are being broken into on their driveways while they sleep. A local resident has said that they woke up to find their car had been broken into and rummaged through. The burglars had taken various items summing up to over £200. The items were never returned, and the burglars were never caught. This has been a recurring problem throughout Chorleywood, as some residents say they have seen burglars trying to break into their cars, but the burglars have run away before they could be caught.
Members of the community have begun tackling the problem by posting on social media in order to make others more aware of the crisis. This has led to people beginning to protect themselves by putting security cameras up in their front yards and making sure to lock their cars at night. Although this has helped slightly reduce car burglaries, many still take place and people are still heavily affected by them. Ultimately, to help protect ourselves and reduce this wave of crime, we must look out for each other and report suspicious activity to the police as soon as possible, and always remember to lock our vehicles just in case.
