Police today assured motorists they are tackling car crime, after reporting a "dramatic decrease" in thefts from motor vehicles in Witham.
But criminal damage to cars has doubled in the last six months and there has also been a spate of car thefts, prompting police to warn drivers to take basic security measures.
The number of thefts from vehicles fell around 60 per cent between October and the end of November, after rising in the previous months.
But criminal damage to vehicles has doubled from 24 in June to 49 last month.
A crackdown on thefts from vehicles was launched in June after Witham became a hotspot, with the worst-hit areas being the town centre and industrial areas off Colchester Road.
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