Surrey Police have hailed their first ever crime tweet week a success after a week-long initiative which highlighted vehicle crime on website, Twitter.

Reports of thefts from and of motor vehicles were ‘tweeted’ online from Monday, July 11, to Sunday, July 17, along with crime prevention messages to educate residents to protect their vehicles.

Throughout the week, police received 89 reports of thefts from motor vehicles and 31 reports of thefts of motor vehicles.

Superintendent Duncan Greenhalgh said: "The number of incidents reported to the police over the last week is much in line with our average figures but the sad fact is that many of these incidents of vehicle crime could be prevented.

"It seems to have been a real eye opener for many residents the number of incidents we deal with on a daily basis.

"It is worth noting that many of the vehicles targeted had been left unlocked by their owner.

"Time and time again we urge drivers to make sure their vehicles are locked and that they do not leave items either on display or in the boot but it sometimes feels like that advice is falling on deaf ears."

The tweet week was part of Surrey Police’s vehicle crime campaign which has been running since May with the aim of reducing vehicle crime across Surrey and spreading the word about how people can keep their vehicles safe.

For more information and security advice visit surrey.police.uk