A STICKER campaign has been launched in a bid to stop a major crime problem.

Burglars are now raiding homes and looking for car keys - then driving off in the victims' vehicles.

All too often the victims make it easy for thieves by leaving keys on kitchen work surfaces or on a hook behind a door, where they can be grabbed in seconds.

Now, police have designed a sticker that people can put in their house window or door and in their car.

The stickers - which say My Car Keys Are Safe - make it clear to prowling thieves that the keys are hidden away at all times.

Pc Dave McSweeney, of Huddersfield police, said: "Many burglaries are committed simply to steal car keys, yet they can easily be prevented. If people hide their car keys in a kitchen drawer during the day and take them upstairs with them at night then burglars would not be able to see them through windows.

"This is one type of crime that can so easily be prevented. Modern cars now have such high-technology anti-theft devices that the only way to take them is to steal the keys."

Pc McSweeney said it was very important for people with prestige cars to join the sticker scheme.

Other sticker campaigns in West Yorkshire have proved successful. One is Vehicle Watch.

Cars with these stickers are rarely used after midnight. If one is seen being driven in the early hours it will be stopped by police.

The other is the 25 Scheme. These stickers should be put in cars which are not driven by people under 25.

If a youngster is seen behind the wheel, these cars will be stopped and checked at any time of the day.

This scheme was introduced after it emerged that 90% of vehicle crime was committed by people aged under 25, yet 70% of victims are over 25.

All these stickers are available from Huddersfield police station.