Car Theft Prevention Tips
Leicestershire Police
Added at 14:26 on 03 January 2022
We've seen an increase in the theft/attempted theft of cars with keyless entry/ignition over the last few months. Criminals use signal relay devices to ‘trick’ the car into thinking the correct key is present, when it may in fact actually be inside your house, by amplifying its signal.
Here are some tips to help prevent falling victim to this type of vehicle theft:
1. Items such as steering wheel locks, gear stick locks or pedal box offer a physical protection due to the time required by the thief to remove them.
2. Have a think where you keep your keys when at home. Keeping your keys in a more central location in the house means the signal will be weaker near the boundaries where thieves can be with scanners. I know it's not the most practical, but try not to leave your keys close to the front door!
3. Think about installing CCTV at your property. It can be a brillaint deterrent as well as offering reassurance(apart from this, it can also help our invesgations should you fall victim). As well as actual cameras, many manufacturers produce doorbell cameras that provide fantastic footage. Just remember to clean it occasionally... I've recently collected footage that would've been brilliant if it wasn't for the spider sitting bang centre in the middle of the lens...
4. Using physical barriers such as bollards, locked gates or even other vehicles that are non-keyless vehicles. These can be parked in front of keyless vehicles to deter thieves from attempting to take the vehicle.
We wish you all a very happy new year and a safe 2022 and as always, if you are concerned about vehicle crime, or witness something suspicious, contact us on 101/999.
MBP
Tom Vaughan (Police, PCSO, Hinckley and Blaby NPA )