Thief locks himself inside the car he was trying to steal

Victoria Police officers have made an easy arrest after a car thief locked himself inside the vehicle he was trying to steal from a petrol station forecourt.

The owner of a BMW had left his car unlocked when he went inside the petrol station to get some hot food.

However, moments later, a would-be jumped inside his car and attempted to steal it.

The owner spotted the offender and sprinted back to the car.

Confronted by the owner, the car crook locked himself inside the vehicle as the owner dangled the keys in front of him while he called police.

“The responding officers made one of the simpler arrests of their careers, and subsequently charged a 24-year-old from Tooradin man with attempted theft of motor vehicle,” Victoria Police said on a social media post, who used the opportunity to remind motorists to never their cars unlocked.

In Australia, police data shows about 70 per cent of cars are stolen with their own keys – though most keys are accessed after house break-ins rather than being left in the ignition.

Victoria and NSW Police advise to always lock your car and close all the windows, including the sunroof, even when your car is at home.