ONE of Burnley's top policemen has taken to the streets as part of a move to drive down car crime.

Exasperated Chief Inspector Chris Bithell was so fed up with people breaking into cars to get their hands on expensive satellite navigation equipment he decided to go back on the beat to warn people.

His actions are just one of the steps being taken by police bosses who are pleading with motorists not to leave high-tech equipment on show in their cars following a spate of thefts.

To hammer home the message, Ch Insp Bithell dropped leaflets through doors warning them about the dangers of leaving goods on display.

Then Parkwise traffic wardens took up the reins of handing out leaflets warning of the risks of leaving items on display in cars.

Police say thousands of pounds worth of satellite navigation equipment has been stolen from cars across Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale in recent months.

And despite repeated appeals for people to heed crime prevention messages, officers say the electronic travel aides are still being left as easy pickings for car thieves.

Inspector Damian Darcy said: "Criminals always change their behaviour according to the times so where a few years ago targets would have been car stereos they then became CD players and radar detectors and now the popular things to steal are satellite navigation systems.

"Equipment like this is worth a lot of money and there will always be a second-hand market for it so people need to make sure they look after it.

"Leaving something like this on display in your car is like leaving £300 cash on the dashboard and people just wouldn't do that."