MORE vehicle break-ins have occurred in the last five years in Bradford East than anywhere else in the district, the Telegraph & Argus can reveal today.

Between 2012 and 2016, a total of 6,419 vehicle break-ins were recorded by West Yorkshire Police in that area.

This compares to 5,815 in Bradford West, 4,893 in Bradford South, 3,169 in Shipley and 2,422 in Keighley.

There were a further 641 break-ins in the Bradford district over that period where the geography was not specified.

A breakdown by years show that 4,665 thefts from vehicles were recorded in 2016, 4,009 in 2015, 4,226 in 2014, 5,227 in 2013 and 4,490 in 2012 – a total of 22,617 recorded offences.

Thefts from cars and vans made up the majority.

Superintendent Daniel Greenwood, operations lead at Bradford District Police, urged motorists to be vigilant about securing their vehicles.

He said: “Local neighbourhood officers carry out regular patrols at public car parks and in areas where concerns have been raised about this particular crime.

“This information is reviewed regularly to make sure that these patrols are targeting the right areas at the right times.

“Motorists can help to reduce thefts by locking their vehicle when leaving it unattended and physically checking their car is locked after using a remote central locking key.

“Valuables should also be removed or at least hidden from sight, as they might attract opportunist thieves.”

Details of the specific items stolen in the vehicle thefts were not revealed, but so called ‘peel and steal’ thefts have increased in Bradford. The technique sees thieves pull the top of a van’s side door down to get access to the vehicle.

One victim, Barry Flatt, 51, said he was not surprised by the figures.

Mr Flatt said damage valued at £3,500 had been caused to his Ford Transit when thieves peeled back the passenger side panel and stole £5,000 of power tools, leaving him unable to work.

The self-employed builder said three men had driven up to his home in Leeds Road, Eccleshill, in February to carry out the daylight raid.

“I am not surprised by these figures,” he said. “There needs to be more deterrents for these criminals.

“A lot more needs to be done on vehicle thefts in Bradford. The peel and steals are going on at an epidemic proportion.”

Meanwhile, a couple spoke of their anger at finding their car had been broken into, causing £5,000 of damage, during a weekend away in Bradford.

Thieves smashed the driver’s window and ripped out the in-built sat nav system of Pauline and John Browne’s Volkswagen CC which had been parked overnight in a car park in George Street.

They had travelled from their home in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, to see The Commitments show at the Alhambra theatre and were staying in the Holiday Inn Express in Vicar Lane.

But the morning after they had seen the show with their daughter and son-in-law, who had travelled from Cambridge to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, they discovered their car had been broken into.

Mrs Browne, 63, said: “I really could not believe my eyes when I saw the mess. It was a nasty shock. The glass was all over the floor and the driver’s seat.

“It is just a shame that it has happened as we always look forward to coming to Bradford and seeing shows at St George’s Hall and the Alhambra. It has soured it for us and left a nasty taste in our mouths.”

Holiday Inn Express Bradford general manager Jayne Laycock said: “We’re sorry to hear of the incident the Browne family had whilst staying in Bradford.

“When guests are booking our hotel, they are advised to park in the Leisure Exchange multi-storey car park that services the complex in which the hotel is located.

“The Leisure Exchange car park is fully covered by CCTV cameras and is patrolled 24/7 by dedicated, on-site car park security officers.”