A drop in the number of vehicles being stolen across Hertfordshire was highlighted at the police and crime commissioner's latest accountability and performance meeting.

Chief Constable Andy Prophet said that the summer period (May to July) had seen a 12% decrease in 'vehicle offending', down from 175 to 157.

He told Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards that during that time the force had doubled its detection rate for these crimes by targeting 'repeat high-volume offenders' who he said systematically and repetitively steal vehicles because it is a criminal business for them.

Mr Ash-Edwards welcomed the trend, which he said was a "significant shift".

Mr Prophet mentioned measures motorists could take to prevent the theft of their vehicles, including making sure doors and windows are locked and removing keys from the ignition even if getting out of the driver's seat momentarily.

He also advised against leaving any valuables – such as handbags, wallets and phones – 'on display' or leaving driving documents in the vehicle.

He referred to a trend of 'electronic signal grabbing' where thieves can use the signal from a key, and urged motorists to keep such keys overnight in a signal-blocking Faraday bag.

The chief constable highlighted thieves who steal registration plates.

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"Think about getting anti-theft screws on your plates," he said. "A lot of thieves target registration plates to put on their car to hide their identity to do other offending, including missing vehicles. If we can secure the plates on our vehicles, that makes the life of the would-be car thief that much harder."