Get a grip on the kit that is used to take the cars. Over 6 years ago, we highlighted the problem, and action was promised. I note:
‘We continue to call for action to stop the open sale of equipment which helps criminals steal cars – equipment which has no legal purpose – and have joined both the West Midlands Police and West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s representatives in a new Home Office taskforce to see how this can be addressed’
In 2012, Watchdog highlighted (advertised) the theft of BMW’s without keys. Their ‘security expert’, ‘Ron’ spoke about a piece of kit called EdiLock on the BBC program. A forum quickly reported:
Thursday 13th September 2012
Not sure if anyone is aware but the so call expert Ron Cliff on Watchdog last night is also the very same person who is the UK importer for the EDILOCK system, which is the system that the scum bags are using on your cars. It only took 5 mins to find this out on a google search. Did no one at the BBC check into this????[1]
7 years ago [2012], the kit could be seen in action.
You’d be forgiven for assuming it’s difficult to lay your hands on such a device. But a Daily Mail investigation has revealed it couldn’t be easier.
We discovered one Bulgarian electronics company has been using a small locksmiths in West London as a distributor of the gadgets in Britain. With prices starting at £14,500, the ‘Keyless Go’ devices sold by Bulgarian-headquartered Edilock Ltd, are favoured by crime gangs. When a reporter visited its high-street distributor, Greenford Security Services Ltd in Ealing earlier this month, he was told cash could be left behind the counter with ‘no questions asked’.
Ron Cliff, who declined to comment, is the owner of Greenford Security and a member of the Master Locksmiths Association. He had boasted that the technology was ‘dead easy’ to use, and would be delivered ‘by DHL’ to any address from Bulgaria. Employees at Greenford Security said customers visit the suburban locksmith from as far afield as the Midlands.
It is ironic we now see the Crime Commissioner for the Midlands area criticise manufacturers for failing to protect vehicles from those same electronic devices which was drawn to their attention over 6 years ago. Can there be a clearer example of the pot calling the kettle black?
[1] https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=72&t=1121571&i=2040&mid=0&nmt= 14 http://expressdigest.com/your–keyless–car–could–be–gone–in–23–seconds–amid–new–high–techcrimewave/
2025 update:
The crime bill outlawing such equipment – too little, too late?