ANYONE who has ever had their car stolen or broken into will tell a tale of huge inconvenience, lengthy wrangles with insurance companies and immense irritation.

And because vehicle crime and its effects are so tangible, it is easy to set targets based around statistics and figures as a means of tackling it.

But police and other agencies dedicated to cutting theft of and from cars are facing an uphill struggle in their seemingly endless quest - and the initiatives produced by the Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership have been designed with long-term progress in mind rather than drastic results.

PC Graham Cook, of Kidderminster Police, is spearheading the various projects aimed at cutting vehicle crime in Wyre Forest.

He said: "Theft of or from cars is such a quick, easy crime that just one person can have a big effect on the statistics for a given month.

"For example, on one night in Stourport last year someone went through the town centre scratching every car they came across with a nail. That was more than 120 reported instances of vehicle crime in one night and it sent the figures through the roof!"

Drivers in Wyre Forest have less to worry about than those in other parts of the country when regional figures are compared to national averages - but vehicle crime still makes up nearly a quarter of all recorded crime in the district.

Annual targets for a reduction in vehicle crime figures have been set, taking into account the planned installation of closed circuit television cameras in certain areas of the district in 2001.

But attempts to meet targets with a range of objectives and action plans have so far met with mixed success - and all too often public apathy.

"Car crime is low-risk for the criminal - it takes a few seconds to break into a car," said PC Cook.

"So I'm amazed how little people do to protect themselves. If you buy a new rake you lock it in the shed overnight - but people seem reluctant to spend a few pounds on basic security devices such as steering wheel locks.

"People also leave things such as briefcases and mobile phones on display in parked cars for the sake of a few minutes."

This all-too-common phenomenon led to the start of the Vulnerable Vehicle Scheme last December, which began on car parks in Kidderminster town centre but has expanded to cover the district in general.

It involved beat officers and traffic wardens carrying special notepads which are used to record details of cars in which valuables are left on display. Letters are then sent to car owners with crime prevention leaflets.

PC Cook said: "About 800 letters have been sent out since the scheme started, but it's impossible to say how many people have read them or taken any notice."