Witness appeal following assault and theft from vehicles in Southampton

We are appealing for witnesses following a series of vehicle-related incidents in Southampton.

At 9.55pm yesterday (16 March) we were called to Endle Street following a report of three men pulling up in a white car outside a vehicle repair shop.

Two men, dressed in balaclavas and gloves, got out and attempted to take the bumper off a MCC Smart car parked near the premises.

A man who saw what was happening tried to intervene and was assaulted by one of the men, who then got back in their vehicle and left the scene.

The victim, in his 30s, was left with a wound to his neck which required hospital treatment. The Smart car was damaged but nothing was stolen.

We later received a report that two cars had their catalytic converters stolen in Floating Bridge Road between 9.30 and 10pm last night.

We are linking these incidents and officers are conducting enquiries to identify the men involved.

Did you see what happened? Do you have CCTV, dash cam footage or ring doorbell footage of the incident?

Please contact us on 101 or report online, quoting 44220105899.

Hybrid vehicles are most commonly targeted, as their metals are more valuable, but any vehicle can be at risk of catalytic converter theft.

To keep yours safe, register your converter and mark it with a forensic marker, which will make it harder for thieves to dispose of.

Visit Secured By Design (https://www.securedbydesign.com/) or Sold Secure Gold (https://www.soldsecure.com/) for more details.

For more details on keeping your vehicle safe, visit our website here https://www.hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/