The scale of an ongoing vehicle crime “spike” in Watford has been revealed, with more two reported a night on average.

Urging the Watford public to be vigilant, Herts Police revealed that 42 reports of vehicles being broken into or interfered with have been made since Sunday October 1.

Most of the vehicles had been left unlocked and the “vast majority” were parked along the arterial routes of Rickmansworth Road, St Albans Road, and Hempstead Road. The rest, police added, were in the areas of Cassiobury, Courtlands Drive and the surrounding roads, Oxhey, and North Watford.

Thieves have acted overnight, with many victims receiving camera doorbell activations between midnight and 5.30am.

Inspector Dan Jones said: “Tackling this spike in vehicle crime is a neighbourhood policing priority, because we know how frustrating and unsettling it is for victims when they realise their property has been stolen.

“In response, we have been carrying out overnight plain-clothed patrols in the affected areas as well as targeted operations where PCSOs have been trying door handles and identifying insecure vehicles before alerting their owners.

“The aim of this proactive work is to highlight just how easy it is for opportunistic criminals to gain access to your vehicle if you forget to lock it.”

The local policing team also urged residents to alert them to any suspicious behaviour in their street “straightway”, and added that they should dial 999 immediately if they suspect a crime is in progress.

Highlighting the importance of sharing information, the force shared that a 31-year-old man from Watford was arrested on suspicion of theft from a motor vehicle in Parkside Drive in the early hours of October 2. A member of the public had called police after witnessing suspicious activity in the road.

Inspector Jones continued: “Earlier this year several arrests were made in connection with vehicle crime in Watford, with some resulting in charges.

“In some of these cases, we were able to make those arrests swiftly thanks to the public calling us immediately when they suspected a crime was being committed.”