WITH winter in full swing and locals feeling the cold, Hamilton Police are warning people not to leave their cars running while unattended, even when parked in a driveway. 

A local Victoria Police spokesperson said as temperatures continue to drop overnight, they were seeing more people around the community leaving their cars running to “warm them up”, creating an easy environment for car thefts.

“We’re seeing complacency with leaving keys in cars during the colder months and cars that are left running and idling,” they said.

The Victoria Police spokesperson said they were seeing incidents of this occurring not only in driveways but also in supermarket car parks.

As the cost of petrol remains high, the spokesperson said some people may resort to drastic measures to get around, with unattended running cars an easy target.

“With the pressure on price increases in petrol, people become more desperate to find other ways to get around,” they said.

“A lot of crime is opportunity crime.”

This warning comes off the back of a spate of unlocked car thefts in Hamilton last year.