FIFTY cars being stolen across Midlands every day

Jun 21 2009 by Adam Aspinall, Sunday Mercury

THE shocking extent of car crime in the Midlands can be revealed by the Sunday Mercury today.

Startling new figures show that nearly 150,000 cars have been stolen from the streets of the region since 2000 – a staggering 50 vehicles EVERY DAY.

And although the overall rate of motor thefts has dipped in recent years due to improved security measures, crooks are now switching to terrifying new tactics.

Organised gangs operating in the Midlands are targeting more motorists through car-jackings.

They are even following owners of high-powered sports cars such as BMWs, Subarus, Mitsubishis and Land Rovers to their homes before burgling the properties to get to the keys.

In April we told how a pregnant mother-of-two was car-jacked by hooded thugs on the driveway of her Sutton Coldfield home.

Lynda Criddle, 37, was attacked in daylight as she returned from a shopping trip. Despite being five months’ pregnant she bravely tried to fend off the raider before throwing him the keys to her Honda CR-V when he was joined by an accomplice.

Lynda was targeted just an hour before a Birmingham dad, driving a high-powered Subaru sports car, suffered a similar ordeal at the Star City entertainment complex a few miles away.