Car thieves are continuing to target the north-east, with an average of more than one vehicle disappearing each day.
The Press and Journal can today reveal that between January and May, a total of 222 vehicles were reported missing in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Last night the numbers were branded “shocking” and “terrifying”, with members of the public urged to play their part to prevent falling victim to the thieves.
Police chiefs insisted they have apprehended a number of culprits, and are using every measure possible to prevent the thefts.
The crime wave sweeping the north-east stands in stark contrast to the north of Scotland, where there have been just eight vehicles reported missing in Moray over the same period.
There were a further 20 vehicles stolen in Inverness and 36 in the Highlands and islands.
Councillor Neil Cooney, convener of Aberdeen’s communities, housing and infrastructure committee, warned the thefts would continue unless the culprits were given a significant jail sentence.
He said: “There are a couple of gangs who have got into the habit of stealing cars and we can’t legislate for this.
“They tend to go for top of the range vehicles.
“There are persistent, you often wonder if they need psychiatric help because they get caught and come back.
“I would urge people to be on their guard and don’t leave keys in the car but often these people break into houses and take the keys from there.
“In particular owners of top of the range cars should take greater care because these people seem to determined to have experience of driving these.
“Until they are locked up for a significant period of time this will continue.”
Neil Greig, of the Institute of Advanced motorists, suggested the region may be attracting organised crime due to the number of high-end cars on the roads.
He said: “The figures are interesting for Aberdeen, in general over the last 12 to 15 years the amount of cars stolen has been going down.
“Aberdeen has a reputation for having a lot of high-end vehicles such as sports cars and 4x4s, which attracts and organised crime element.
“Before it was easy to steal a car and so opportunistic thefts took place.
“It’s virtually impossible to break into a car and drive off with it, often when people lose their car keys the vehicle has to be recovered to their home before a new pair is ordered.
“We would urge people to look after their car keys the way they look after their credit card and phone.
“Getting car keys is the only way to get a car and drive away with it.”
Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Walker also urged the public to be vigilant.
“Officers right across the north-east division continue to target criminals who target vehicles, and we maximise every prevention, intelligence and enforcement opportunity available to us.
“Unfortunately the majority of car thefts could be avoided if the properties and vehicles in question had not been left insecure and we are finding more and more that thieves are not forcing doors – they simply try door handles in the hope they are unlocked and within seconds they could be gone with your valuables.
“We have had numerous successes with apprehending some of the individuals responsible, and I can assure the public that we will continue to detect these people and take them to court where they can be dealt with.”
Top tip: Freeze your car keys
Owners of keyless cars were given a unique tip on how to guard themselves against thieves last year.
Motorists were urged to placed the fobs inside a freezer or a microwave – to prevent them from being traced.
Criminal gangs developed a device which intercept the signal between the car and the fob, allowing them to find its location.
Normally fobs can only unlock a vehicle from a very close distance – but when they are not nearby the car is always sending a signal trying to find the device.
Thieves have been using an amplifier which boosts the signal to as far away as 328ft, allowing them to find the device.
But when fobs are inside a freezer or a microwave the metal around them prevents the signal from being picked up.
Some of the devices have to be kept are room temperature to avoid the batteries from being ruined, so owners are urged to check with their dealer first.