Wrexham police defend car theft warning post

Wrexham Town Police put a post on Facebook on Wednesday morning warning people that leaving keys in the ignition while waiting for a car to defrost was an invitation to opportunistic thieves.

The post was accompanied by a photo of a car's frozen windscreen on which "KEYS IN CAR HELP YOURSELF" had been written in the ice.

The post said: "Don’t leave your car to defrost unattended this morning!

"Unfortunately cars unattended and with the keys in the ignition make it too easy for opportunist thieves.

"Insurance companies may not pay out if your car is stolen & you will be committing the offence of quitting."

But one Facebook user took issue with the post, claiming it was an advert for thieves to steal cars.

The post read: "Yeah because you don't arrest criminals anymore do you. You'd rather just arrest and fine the victim. This is like an advert for scumbags to steal cars."

It led to Wrexham Town Police responding to defend the post and their work to keep Wrexham safe.

It read: "Yes, we actually do arrest criminals, it's what we live for. And no, we don't arrest and fine victims of crime, because strangely enough, they're not the baddies.

"Finally, it's not an advert for criminals to steal cars - they've already learned that one. It's actually reminding people to try to make it harder for opportunists to get away with their pride and joy.

"Have a super day, and don't forget we're #HereForYou."

Some Facebook users said they understood the post.

One said: "It’s telling you not to leave the keys in the car as your insurance probably won’t pay out..."

Another said: "It’s like saying if you leave that out it might get nicked. What your saying is that the police should never warn people about crime because it encourages crime.

"Hmmm, no, I don’t think criminals need any encouragement, however, some people do need reminding not to make it so easy for them!"