CAR CRIME IS UP
New figures reveal 168% rise in 5 years
Thefts from vehicles in Rutherglen and Cambuslang have risen by nearly 168 per cent in the past five years, the Reformer can reveal.
There were 145 break-ins and attempted break-ins to vehicles in 2016 – 30 more than the previous year and 91 more than in 2012.
The figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request also show a 19 per cent decrease in house break-ins.
But on average a house is still broken into every three days in the two towns. Statistics show Cambuslang West and Rutherglen Central and North are the worst affected areas.
Since 2012 there have been 1228 breakins and attempted break-ins to houses and vehicles and thefts of vehicles in the Burgh. However, Rutherglen South has had considerably less thefts, 481, compared to Central and North – 747.
The alarming figures come just two weeks after a man had thousands of pounds worth of work tools stolen from his van on Waverley Drive.
The 40- year- old said he had been disappointed at the lack of action taken by Police Scotland to catch the culprit who was filmed on CCTV.
When he Reformer first reported the theft, the man said: “We only moved to Rutherglen around last March and that’s
A Rutherglen grandmother who was left devastated when thieves broke into her home and stole Christmas presents meant for her family says the ordeal has still left her frightened.
Catherine Kirk, 63, spoke out about the trauma caused by the theft as figures obtained by the Reformer show a house break-in occurs on average every three days in Rutherglen.
Catherine returned to her Burnhill home from a friend’s wedding in the early hours of the morning in December 2015 to find her front door wide open and the lock broken.
When she entered her house she discovered thieves had taken a number of items, including presents for her grandsons and jewellery given to her by her grandmother and mother. She said she is still scarred, one year on from her ordeal.
Catherine acknowledged house break-ins have decreased by 25 per cent in Rutherglen and Cambuslang in the past year but said people need to appreciate the impact it has on victims.
“It’s devastating,” she said. “You work hard for your bits and bobs and then someone comes in and sells it for buttons.
“The thing was those items were irreplaceable. They meant a lot to me.
“You do everything you can to keep yourself safe but there’s only so much you can do. I wouldn’t want to go out, I was terrified and would panic to get the lights back on whenever I could. I’m still a bit jumpy.
“I feel sorry for the police as well because once they catch them they have to go all through this paperwork and then sometimes all they get is a slap on the wrist.
“A policeman came to visit me and said I had the best locks but you can’t do any more than that unless you barricade yourself in.”
Last year there were 51 break- ins to homes in Cambuslang, a drop from 80 in 2015. Cambuslang East, however, has seen a dramatic ncrease in break-ins, attempted break-ins and car thefts. Ninety-four were recorded in 2015 but 130 were reported last year – a 38 per cent increase.