Man in custody following thefts from vehicles in Manchester City Centre Thefts

An arrest has been made in connection with an investigation into car break-ins in a car park in Manchester City Centre last month (September 2023).

Officers received reports that multiple vehicles were being targeted and broken into, with victims reporting bank cards and laptops being stolen from their vehicles whilst their cars were in car parks across Manchester city centre.

A man, aged 25, has now been arrested on suspicion of theft from motor vehicle and breach of a criminal behaviour order.  He remains in police custody ahead of being questioned by officers.

Detective Inspector Natalie McDonald, from GMP's City Of Manchester Central Neighbourhood Crime Team, said: “These sort of crimes are incredibly personal, they are an attack on your property, we work hard to investigate any reports we receive.

“I hope this arrest demonstrates our ongoing commitment to tackling neighbourhood offences.

"Although we have made an arrest in relation to this incident, our enquiries are very much ongoing into vehicle crime across the city centre and anyone with information is asked to contact us with any details they may have that could be relevant to this investigation."

Follow GMP’s advice to keep your vehicle and valuable items safe when leaving your car parked:

1. Always lock your vehicle – when you leave your vehicle, take extra care to ensure it is properly locked and if your vehicle has wing mirrors that fold in automatically when locked, make sure you lock it properly. Criminals look for vehicles like these where the wing mirrors are still out because it is clear to them that the vehicle has been left unlocked.

2. Close windows and the sun roof to prevent ‘fishing’ - Leaving windows and the sunroof open invites fishing for items through the gap by hand or with, say, a bent coat hanger, which could also be used to unlock a door for them to get in. Don’t give them the opportunity.

3. Fit locking, anti-tamper wheel nuts to secure alloy wheels - Stolen wheels are valuable, either as parts or for their scrap value. Using locking wheel nuts reduces the risk of your vehicle’s wheels being stolen. 

4. Take valuables with you or hide them in a safe place – Valuables including your mobile phone, electrical items, coins for the car park, sunglasses, packs of medication or other items can entice criminals to break into your car.

Anyone with information about theft from vehicles is asked to contact police online, if able, via www.gmp.police.uk or call 101 quoting incident 4185 of 07/09/2023. Details can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.