Israel's top police chief had his car broken into and phone stolen in broad daylight on Friday right outside his Tel Aviv-area home, media reports said.

Israel Radio and the Ynet Web news site said the windshield had been smashed despite the presence of round-the-clock guard service at National Police Commissioner David Cohen's residence.

Cohen and his family were home at the time, the reports said. There were no reported injuries, and police called in reinforcements to search for suspects, reports added, quoting a spokesman for Tel Aviv area police.

Israeli police have been struggling to reduce the frequency of car theft and vandalism which is higher in Israel in comparison to other Western countries.

Reuters