Vehicle crime advice (Leicestershire Police)
Keyless cars –
Over recent years a keyless entry cars have become very common to which criminals have exploited by using devices to extend the signal of your keys. At the moment we are Range Rover/Land Rover and Ford being targeted by these devices. Below is an extract from our website –
Vehicles today are by and large more difficult to steal than ever, unless the thief can access your key or fob to clone them. Keep your keys safe, out of view when at home, and away from your front door. It’s not uncommon for car keys to be stolen from inside your home by thieves fishing for them with a stick and hook through the letterbox.
When not in use, keep your electronic car key in a security pouch to prevent it being scanned by thieves to open and steal your car nearby.
These pouches are readily available on the Internet
Checking your vehicles are secure –
As we are coming up to the festive period we are all buying gifts for friends and loved one so it is even more important to lock your vehicle at every opportunity –
Locking your vehicle, even when filling up or parked on your drive, greatly reduces the possibility of it being targeted by an opportunist thief. Even if you have locked your vehicle, check you haven’t left any windows or the sunroof open.
It is actually illegal to leave your vehicle running unattended while you de-ice it or warm it up in cold weather. If someone takes it while it’s left like this, your insurer won’t pay out because you won’t be covered.
If your vehicle has wing mirrors that fold in automatically when locked, make sure you lock it properly. Criminal gangs are looking for vehicles like these where the wing mirrors are still out because it is clear to them that the vehicle has been left unlocked.