Motorists warned as fear grows over 'car-jackings': Terry Kirby on police reaction to the robbery of a driver on the M25

THE armed 'car-jacking' of a woman driver on the M25 - the second such attack in the south of England in two months - and an apparent copycat incident in the North- east have fuelled fears that Britain may be facing a spate of such crimes. Police and motoring organisations have issued advice to motorists on what to do in such a situation.

A businessman driving a BMW in Middlesbrough yesterday afternoon was repeatedly rammed by a pursuing car over a distance of half a mile. When he stopped at traffic lights, the raiders leapt from their vehicle and snatched an attache case containing 'a large amount of cash'.

Detectives believe the two men who rammed and robbed Mina Mullins at gunpoint on the M25 followed their victim for 20 miles after targeting her while she was at an engagement party at the Dorchester Hotel on Saturday.

The Saab used to ram the Mercedes 500SL convertible driven by Mrs Mullins, wife of a millionaire merchant banker, was stolen from the Park Lane area in central London within an hour of her arrival.

It was found abandoned near the spot at Egham, Surrey, where she was pistol- whipped and left at the roadside by the men, both described as Asian, who escaped with pounds 70,000 of her jewellery and her car.

The cases of car-jacking have come in the wake of an increase in what some police officers call 'stop and seize' offences - the practice of snatching valuables, such as purses or mobile telephones, from a car halted at lights or in slow-moving traffic. The Metropolitan Police now advise all drivers in London to lock their car doors on the inside. Similar incidents have been recorded in several cities.

Detectives have been questioning staff and guests at the Dorchester and are still searching for Mrs Mullins's car, registration number MDM 634. The jewellery stolen included a diamond-encrusted gold ring worth pounds 55,000, a necklace worth pounds 4,000, which was wrenched from her throat, and a diamond-encrusted watch worth pounds 12,500.

Mrs Mullins, who was heading towards her home in Wentworth, Surrey, said yesterday she had taken precautions. She had begun a self-defence course and bought a fast car with a mobile telephone specifically for emergency calls.

'I am not a person who is not on guard. I locked the car and I have a mobile phone for just this purpose. I thought I was cautious to a maximum degree. I don't usually wear pounds 50,000 to pounds 60,000 worth of jewellery, but it was a friend's engagement party.'

She and her husband, William, had recently sold their holiday home in Miami because of fears about crime in the United States. Her husband has offered a pounds 20,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of his wife's attackers.

British police first warned motorists about the trend a few weeks ago after an armed gang in two cars forced a driver on to the hard shoulder of the M23 near Gatwick in West Sussex, taking his wallet at gunpoint before speeding off.

Commander Roy Penrose, head of the South-East Regional Crime Squad and a member of the Home Office working party on vehicle crime, said drivers should not stop if they were rammed.

'Clearly there is a normal inclination to stop and exchange insurance details if they think they have been in an accident. Drivers should be very wary before doing this and if they have been forced to a stop or think they might have been rammed deliberately, they should continue on to the next service station or a point where they can summon help. The damage to the car should be the last thing they should worry about.'

Mr Penrose believes those behind the car-jacking incidents are simply criminals catching up with the latest ideas. 'Criminals have their own intelligence networks and, like everybody, they read newspapers.'

This summer's newspapers have been full of stories of how an armed gang driving high- powered stolen cars terrorised motorists, including one family of British tourists, on motorways in the south of France.

While car-jacking is also common in the United States, British incidents have been few. Detectives believe that publicity may now cause the number to grow in the same way that a few years ago ram- raiding began in North-east England and has now spread to become a national crime.

Mr Penrose added: 'I can remember a couple of years ago hearing from Interpol how in Europe some people were using mechanical diggers to rip out bank machines; within a few months they were doing it here.'

Senior police officers believe all types of car-related crimes - including car-jacking, ram- raiding and joyriding - would be reduced if manufacturers adopted better security measures, such as toughened glass and anti-theft radios.

Leading article, page 17

Police advise on how to avoid highway robbery

THE police and motoring organisations yesterday urged drivers to heed this highway code to ensure their own protection:

Keep doors and windows locked and valuables out of sight

Check the back seat before entering a vehicle

Ignore warnings that something is wrong with the car unless

they are convinced it is a genuine emergency

Make checks on the car in a well-lit, busy area

Drive on if being rammed, or followed, to the nearest police

station or brightly lit inhabited area

Keep engine running and speak through slightly-opened

window if asked to stop by what appears to be an

unmarked police car

Avoid getting too close to the vehicle in front because it can

make manoeuvring in an emergency difficult

Drive on if they see another driver in difficulty and report it

to the police as soon as possible

Avoid stopping at isolated lay-bys

Let people know when they are likely to arrive and what

route they intend to take, particularly on long journeys

Ensure there is sufficient petrol in the car before setting off

Note registration, colour and make of vehicle if being

followed in suspicious circumstances

Ask anyone offering assistance to provide identification

An RAC advice leaflet called 'Safety Tips for Motorists at Risk' is available to RAC members by sending an A5 stamped self-addressed envelope marked 'Safety Advice' to the PR Department, RAC House, Brent Terrace, London, NW2 1LT.

(Photograph omitted)