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Thieves target cars at hospital (From This is Hampshire)
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Thieves target cars at hospital
11:39am Thursday 7th August 2008
CHEEKY thieves are stealing catalytic converters from cars parked at a Hampshire hospital - right under the noses of police.
They have taken the valuable anti-pollution devices as people visited sick relatives and friends at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.
The hospital car park is opposite the Hampshire police's Romsey Road headquarters.
Police have now launched a surveillance operation in a bid to catch the crooks.
The hospital is the latest place to be targeted by thieves tempted by the three precious metals - platinum, palladium and rhodium - contained in catalytic converters.
Experts say a competent thief can remove one in six minutes and sell it for at least £120.
As reported in the Daily Echo, several motorists who went to this year's New Forest Show had their catalytic converters stolen in what has been described as a crimewave sweeping the country.
It is understood thieves crawl under vehicles and use hacksaws to remove the devices, leaving motorists with huge repair bills.
A Hampshire police spokesman said: "We can confirm that in response to a number of catalytic converter thefts in recent weeks police officers in Winchester have been conducting covert operations in the area. Reports of thefts have included the car park at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester."
Police have alerted scrap metal dealers across the county and warned them to be on the lookout for stolen items.
The spokesman added that drivers should mark their catalytic converters and leave their vehicles in garages or well-lit car parks.
Police believe the devices are shipped to recycling centres in Poland, Canada, China and Latvia, where the metals are extracted.
A spokeswoman for the Royal Hampshire County Hospital confirmed that up to ten catalytic converters had been stolen from vehicles in its smaller car park.
She added: "It has been happening at the weekends so we have now closed the car park at the weekends and stepped up patrols."
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