The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Spate of car thefts sparks major inquiry by police
Unprecedented act as four prestige vehicles stolen in just one night
A major hunt has been launched after the “out of the ordinary” theft of four high-end cars across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
The cars were stolen in a matter of hours and detectives have not ruled out that they may all have been taken by the same individuals.
The vehicles, two Audis and two BMWs, were taken from Brickfield Road and Riverside Drive in Stonehaven and from Queen’s Road and Milltimber in Aberdeen.
They are said to have been stolen between 7pm on Wednesday evening and the early hours of Thursday morning.
Local community policing teams from Stonehaven and Aberdeen, supported by forensics and CID officers, are spending “a great deal of valuable police resources” attempting to find the cars.
P o l i c e h a v e a l s o reminded the public of how important it is to make sure their vehicles and homes are secure after it emerged the four cars were stolen because their keys were kept close to unlocked doors at home.
One of the vehicles, a black Audi A4, was taken after its owner left his key in the ignition when he visited a Chinese takeaway on Brickfield Road in Stonehaven to pick up a meal for his poorly mother.
He said: “Stonehaven is not the kind of place you would expect to see crime like this. It is like something out of Grand Theft Auto.”
Inspector Chris Kerr said the public had to play their part in making it more difficult for criminals. He said: “These thefts have obviously caused a great deal of anguish and inconvenience for the owners and we have a number of police resources working on these cases.
“I must stress the public can greatly reduce their chances of becoming the victim of a crime by locking their vehicles and securing their homes.”
Insp Kerr said it is not yet known if all four of the thefts are linked but that colleagues were “keeping an open mind”.
When asked if the four incidents are related to any increase or decrease in similar crime, Insp Kerr said: “This is out of the ordinary. I can’t say this forms part of a pattern”.
Anyone with information about the stolen cars – a blue Audi Q7, a black BMW X3, a white BMW X5 and a black Audi A4 – should phone the police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“It is like something out of Grand Theft Auto”