5:01pm Thursday 10th August 2006
By Kate Russell
The borough has seen a surge in the number of luxury cars stolen by letterbox thieves over recent months.
Dozens of top-of-the-range vehicles have been stolen by thieves who have unhooked keys left near front doors by slipping a rod through the letterbox.
Burglars have also been breaking into homes using more traditional means to steal car keys and leaving other valuables in the house untouched.
At the weekend a 49-year old woman chased a burglar out of her house and watched in disbelief as he was driven away from the scene by an accomplice in her blue Audi convertible. The incident happened in Elsinge Road, Enfield, at 5.15am on Saturday.
And a black VW Golf was stolen from the driveway of a home in Laburnum Grove, Edmonton, after thieves broke into the house to steal the car keys on July 28.
From April 2005 to April 2006 149 cars were stolen by burglars who had broken into a home to steal the keys.
This now accounts for six per cent of all residential burglaries prompting the police to launch an awareness campaign.
A police spokeswoman said: "Keeping keys away from the front door has not helped some people. As the cars are targeted at night while the owners are asleep, silent break-ins by removing complete glazed units are common.
"The best advice is to keep your car and house keys in a secure place which would not be obvious to burglars."
Other crime prevention tips include attaching an internal deflector plate to the letterbox, fitting a letterbox lock or installing a vehicle tracking device.
For advice on home or crime security call a crime prevention officer on 8345 1102.
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