thefts from cars at the weekend.

On Friday night a Somerset woman had a shoulder bag containing a wallet stolen from her vehicle outside the Maxi Mart store in Sandys.

Although she only left the vehicle unattended for a few minutes an opportunist thief managed to get into the car and snatch the bag.

A Pembroke woman lost her bank book and a quantity of cash from her car which she had left outside the Quickie Lickie laundromat on Serpentine Road, Hamilton on Friday evening.

And a sneak thief got away with a briefcase and cellular telephone left in a van parked at the Mid Atlantic Boat Club on Saturday evening. A Police spokesman said: "Thefts from unattended vehicles have been on the increase in the last few months and these are further examples of this type of crime which is happening on the Island. It appears that, despite frequent warnings about leaving property in unattended vehicles, the public are failing to heed this advice.''