DORSET Police are urging motorists to outsmart the car thief following the launch of a new car crime initiative.

From Monday police began a three-month campaign aimed at clamping down on car thefts in north Bournemouth.

The north section has seen a sharp rise in thefts of vehicles and thefts of items from vehicles.

Now officers will take to the streets of north Bournemouth urging divers to ensure their vehicles are secure. Leaf-lets will be placed in police stations, doctors and den-tist surgeries, schools and community centres rem-inding people of the need to keep vehicles secure.

The crime reduction team will also be setting up displays at Castlepoint and Turbary Retail Park in Wallisdown to show people how best to protect cars.

The initiative coincides with Operation Universe, which will see police in Bournemouth supported by officers from the Road Policing Unit, openly patrol areas identified as vehicle crime hotspots. The operation will run during March and aims to deter would-be criminals.

Police in Bournemouth say owners of older vehicles need to ensure they take extra crime prevention precautions as latest figures show that a staggering 71 per cent of vehicles stolen in the area were over 10 years old.

Motorbikes and mopeds are also being targeted by thieves.

Security tips and advice about the safest areas to park in Bournemouth are available free via the ParkSafe text-messaging service - text the word VEHICLE to 80210 to sign-up.