The Eastbourne Crime Reduction Partnership is publishing a car crime prevention message on the back of pay and display tickets in Eastbourne Borough Council's car parks.
The tickets say "Vehicle Crime is down in Eastbourne. Don't be one of the victims left. Don't get Sat Nabbed".
Bob Gough of the Eastbourne Crime Reduction Partnership said "Car crime is continuing to fall in Eastbourne and for the third year in a row the number of reported thefts from vehicles has fallen, down from 1117 in 2003/04 to 439 in the twelve months to 31 March 2008, a 60.7% drop over the three years.
We need to take every opportunity we can to remind drivers to take extra care with their belongings. Leaving a satellite navigation system holder or dashboard disk in view gives the opportunity for a thief to steal the owner's belongings and cause damage to a vehicle. The damage to the vehicle and the inconvenience to the driver is often more costly to repair than the goods stolen".
During the period from 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2005 some 21 satellite navigation systems were reported stolen in Eastbourne. During 2006 the figure rose to 52 and in 2007 the figure rose again to 68.
Overall, crime in Eastbourne is down by 21% when compared with the situation three years ago.