THE UK’s top police officer investigating vehicle crime is encouraging drivers to take steps to keep their car or van safe amid a rise in criminals exploiting keyless technology.
Provisional figures from the National Police Chiefs’ Council show a 3.1% increase between May 2021 and June 2021 in vehicle crime. The bulk of this increase is from keyless theft.
Intelligence shows organised crime gangs are using relay technology to receive the signal from a key inside a house and transfer it to a portable device, allowing them to unlock and drive the car.
National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Vehicle Crime, Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, said: “Car theft is a serious crime that causes significant distress and upset to owners and police are putting considerable resources into tackling it and bringing those responsible to justice.
“Whilst the rapid development of technology has dramatically improved the experience of drivers it has also allowed criminals to exploit weaknesses in electronic security. We are working closely with car manufacturers to help them design out crime by sharing intelligence and equipment seized from criminals. We are already making substantial progress in this regard.
“I would urge drivers to take simple steps to keep their vehicle safe like storing your keys in metal tins or protective pouches that block the devices criminals are using. A return to basics like making sure your car is locked is worthwhile too. We know from research that some owners think that cars automatically lock – they don’t. Always double check before you walk away that it’s locked.”
Despite the recent small increase in this type of theft overall theft of, and from, motor vehicles was down by 21% in the latest ONS crime statistics.
Police have made significant gains against these criminals and arrests are being made across the UK.
Last week Leicestershire Police secured the conviction of seven members of an organised crime gang who were involved in more than 50 keyless thefts involving vehicles totalling £2.4 million. They were jailed for a total of more than 30 years.
Earlier this month in Liverpool five people were sentenced to a total of more than 23 years in prison after being convicted for a range of offences including the theft of keyless cars totalling around £2.6 million.
Cheshire Constabulary secured the conviction of a man for several car and key burglaries and he was sentenced to more than 7 years imprisonment last week.
Sims added: “These crime gangs care little for the impact they have on ordinary people but they should know that police are coming after them. We are carrying out proactive operations every single week and as recent results show, they can expect to spend a significant time in prison when we catch them.”
To prevent theft drivers can take simple steps like double checking a car is locked, keeping keys out of sight and away from windows and doors and storing key cards in a metal tin or security pouch.
There are more tips on how to keep your vehicle safe at police.uk.
