70% say they've been victims of car crime

Many of the crimes went unreported as owners believed that nothing could be done, the online poll by What Car? magazine found. The statistics related to people who had their car stolen, broken into or vandalised.

According to What Car?, a Home Office report claimed there has been a 51% reduction in car crime since 1997. In 2005, just under 200,000 cars were stolen and of those just three in 1,000 were newer cars, registered between 2003 and 2005.

The magazine said newer cars may be hardest to steal, but the UK remained the vehicle crime capital of Europe with 1.7 million vehicle-related crimes reported between 2005 and 2006.

What Car? editor Steve Fowler added: "Government figures suggest a reduction in car crime, so we were surprised that 70% of readers who responded said they been a victim of car crime.

"With modern cars being harder to steal, car thieves are getting more and more ruthless. If they see a car they want on your drive, they won't think twice about breaking into your home to get your keys. Motorists must ensure they keep their keys out of view and out of reach."

The magazine said the ever-increasing complexity of security systems meant thieves would develop more cunning ways to get their hands on a car. Some had even stolen keys by pushing a fishing rod through the front-door letterbox to secure keys left on hallway tables.