THEFTS from cars are on the increase in Hartlepool, with property being sold on at car boot sales, according to senior police officers.
At a consultation meeting in the town, District Commander John Burke revealed that car crime was rising in the area.
District Commander Burke said that, despite a fall in car crime in recent years, it had started to increase again.
He said: "Car crime, especially thefts from cars, are going up.
"We have a problem with people taking stereos and CD players out of vehicles and then selling them on at car boot sales.
"The figures seemed to have bottomed out, but are on the rise again."
Overall, crime fell by 3.4 per cent, but District Commander Burke said the fear of crime was a lot higher.
He said: "The fear of crime is disproportionate to the amount of crime. We need to get the feel-good factor created by a fall in reported crime across to the public.
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