Car thief victim says crime in Swindon has gotten worse

Andreia Silva, 37, woke up to find her Peugeot 208 had been raided while parked overnight behind her Eastcott Road home.

“I discovered it at 3.20am as I heard shouting from several men in our nearby alleyway,” she said.

“As soon as I opened my gate I tried to unlock my car but it was already open.”

Andreia now feels unsafe in Swindon because of the incident. (Image: Newsquest)

The driver’s side window was smashed in and broken glass was left scattered on the ground as well as on the seat.

“When I looked closer, my window had been completely smashed,” she said.

“Glass was everywhere and I then realised I had accidently left my bag in the car overnight.”

Among the items taken were money and credit cards .

“They opened my backpack and took out my wallet,” said Andreia.

“Included in this was my driver’s licence, my debit card, my credit card, and £30 of cash in notes.”

Andreia's car on the day of the incident, with smashed glass all over the driver's seat. (Image: Andreia Silva)

Other items in the car had been moved around but nothing else was taken.

“My car also had my haircutting kit and tools inside as I am currently undertaking a barbering qualification at New College,” she said.

“They opened this bag but did not steal anything.”

Andreia and her partner think the incident happened between midnight and 3.20am on Thursday, January 12.

“I get up at 3am for my job as I work late hours as a delivery driver and my partner went to sleep at midnight,” she said.

“Therefore it must have happened in that three-hour period.”

The nearby alleyway has no street lights whatsoever and is adjacent to where the car was parked. (Image: Newsquest)

Andreia is originally from Lisbon in Portugal and moved to Swindon back in 2010 for family and work reasons.

“I moved to Swindon to improve my life and I enjoy living in the town but this makes me feel unsafe,” she said.

“Swindon is far worse for crime now though as when I originally came here it was so mild that you could even leave a door unlocked without fear.”

The estimated total cost of the repairs, the money stolen and the fact Andreia missed a day at work sorting the issue amounted to around £170.

According to Crimerate.co.uk the overall crime rate in Swindon in 2021 was 68 crimes per 1,000 people, 28 per cent higher than the Wiltshire rate of 53.

The most common crimes in Swindon are violence and sexual offences, with 5,998 offences during 2021, giving a crime rate of 31. This is 6% higher than 2020's figure of 5,658 offences and a difference of 1.76 from 2020's crime rate of 29. 

Swindon's least common crime is theft from the person, with 85 offences recorded in 2021, a decrease of 21% from 2020's figure of 107 crimes.