Keyless Car Theft on the Rise
The UK’s top police officer investigating vehicle crime Is urging owners of keyless cars to keep their vehicles safe.
Statistics from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) show a 3.1% increase between May 2021 and June 2021 in vehicle crime. The majority of those thefts being keyless cars.
Police intelligence has found that criminals are using relay technology to receive the signal from a key inside a house using a portable device, giving them access to unlock and drive the car.
Comment
National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said,
“Whilst the rapid development of technology has dramatically improved the experience of drivers it has also allowed criminals to exploit weaknesses in electronic security.”
She continued to say that officers are working with vehicle manufacturers to “design out crime”.
Policing
New research from Verizon Connect has found that stolen vehicles or equipment costs fleet-based businesses an average of £12,250 each year.
Police have made significant progress in cases against these criminals, making arrests across the UK.
Leicestershire Police secured the conviction of seven members of an organized crime gang in June. The gang were involved in over 50 keyless thefts.
The total for this haul alone was £2.4 million, and the criminals recieved sentences of a minimum of 30 years imprisonment.
Prevention
Take these simple steps to prevent theft:
- Double-checking locked doors
- Keeping keys out of sight, away from windows and doors
- Store key cards in a metal tin or security pouch
How can Cambrian help?
Our industry-leading telematics solutions give you real-time surveillance of your fleet. The combination of location tracking and dashcam software, enables you to see exactly who is driving your fleet and where. Many of our devices are hard-wired and if deactivated will immediately send a notification.
Useful Links
To find out more go to https://www.cambriancards.com/telematics/
Official police advice – https://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/advice/vehicle-crime/vehicle-crime/keyless-theft
Keyless Car Theft on the Rise