An island off the coast of Cornwall has experienced its first car break-in for more than a year – a police officer retrieving keys which a driver had locked in his vehicle.
The sleepy outcrop of St Mary's, in the Isles of Scilly, is one of the safest places in the UK and has not experienced any car crime since September 2011.
But the first break-in for 13 months was not down to a criminal – but a police officer coming to the aid of a stricken motorist.
Sergeant Colin Taylor was dispatched after a local man locked himself out of his car – and used a "secret technique" to open the car and retrieve the keys.
Sgt Taylor said he was most surprised the driver had even bothered to lock the vehicle – because "no-one locks their cars here". He said: "A gentleman rang up and said he had locked himself out of his car and whether I could help.
"Strangely the very first job I ever had when I was a policeman was to break into a car, so I had learnt a secret technique, which I obviously can't divulge.
"He seemed mighty impressed though and was very grateful.
"It was just bizarre that he had a car that was locked – it must have been the only one on the island. No-one locks their cars here."
It is thought the driver had parked up on a country lane to visit friends and locked the car but accidentally left his keys in the ignition.
He then called the police station to ask for help to get back in.
The Island of St Mary's, experienced just 52 crimes in the whole of 2011 – and only one of those was a vehicle offence.
Sgt Taylor said: "Strictly speaking this is not a recorded break into a car so crime here remains unblemished.
"I had a PCSO with me and she thought it was extremely funny. She was laughing about it all day."
He added: "The island is as peaceful as the crime statistics make it out to be."
