Police appeal for help in reducing Catalytic Converter thefts in Southport and across the region

Thieves are targeting cars that have catalytic converters, in car parks across the UK. Makes of cars targeted are typically Honda, Toyota, Lexus, but other makes of car are also targeted.

We need your help in trying to reduce this type of crime and to help in responding quickly to help us identify and catch those responsible.

Thieves will typically identify a target vehicle and, operating very quickly, will jack the vehicle up and use a cutting tool to cut the catalytic converter off. They may appear as if they are just doing repair work on a car, or wear high visibility jackets to ‘hide in plain sight’. 

Weekends are a key time  when these offences take place.

If you see anyone acting in this manner under cars in car parks, CCTV, photographs, video or dash cam footage of the people involved and details of the vehicles they have used will be vital in helping us to arrest offenders.

Call us on 999 if you believe you are witnessing a crime in process, or 101 if you have information or footage of an incident at a later date.

These thieves are brazen and often carry out their crimes in busy areas on the basis that no one will report what they are seeing.  Please help us to catch these offenders by reporting people acting suspiciously under cars in car parks.