Car thieves have been warned they are living on borrowed time after Oxford police arrested 11 suspects in a crackdown on vehicle crime.Five people were charged after the arrests in Headington, Greater Leys and East Oxford on Monday and Tuesday.

Two of them, including Bonn Square tree protester Gabriel Chamberlain, admitted smashing the window of a VW Polo and attempting to steal a car stereo when they appeared in court within hours of being arrested.

Car crime in Oxford has fallen dramatically since the arrests, with only one theft from a vehicle reported in the city between Tuesday and Thursday.

Normally, one car is stolen and at least three are broken into each day.

Pc Steve Martincorr, of Oxford police's auto crime team, said he expected to arrest more of a "hardcore" group of car criminals in the crackdown.

advertisementHe said: "My message for offenders in Oxford is that 'we're after you'.

"Eleven arrests is just the start and we are expecting more in the coming weeks.

"We have a hard core of prolific criminals, who are committing the bulk of vehicle crime, and while we may not detect every crime, we will catch these people."

Police figures reveal there have been 165 attempts to steal vehicles in Oxford since April 1 - 43 fewer than in the same period last year.

But thefts from vehicles have risen to 432 in the same period - 23 more than in 2007.

Pc Martin said his team generally deal with a hard core of up to 25 car criminals at any one time.

Chamberlain, 34, of Oxford Road, Kidlington, and Daniel Wathall, 28, of no fixed address, both admitted theft from a motor vehicle when they appeared at Oxford Magistrates' Court and are now awaiting sentence.

Wathall was also charged with attempted theft from a vehicle over a separate incident in St Mary's Road, off Cowley Road.

Emma Craft, 18, of Marjoram Close, Greater Leys, was arrested in Blackberry Lane, Greater Leys, at 1.10pm on Monday after a stolen blue Rover was crashed through a gate. She has been charged with aggravated taking without consent of a motor vehicle and possession of a Class C drug.

A 16-year-old boy and 15-year-old girl arrested with her have been charged with aggravated taking of a motor vehicle without consent. The boy was also charged with driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

Two more boys aged 14 and 15 were arrested in London Road, Headington, at 2pm on Monday, after a stolen car was found in the road.

Another four youths, two aged 16 and two aged 17, were arrested in connection with an attempted theft of a blue Vauxhall Nova in Frys Hill, Greater Leys, at 11.45pm on Sunday. Three of the boys were also arrested in connection with the attempted theft of a car in Cheney Lane, Headington, at 2.40am on Saturday.

One 16-year-old has been charged with driving a stolen vehicle, driving while disqualified and without insurance.

The 14-year-old boy has been charged with being carried in a stolen car. They will appear at Oxford Youth Court on Wednesday, August 27.(by:oxfordmail.net)