22/02/2025 – ‘Car signal jammers behind surge in vehicle thefts to be outlawed’ (source):
- At the moment, it is not a prosecutable offence to own such signal jammers, which are now used in:
- 4 in 10 car thefts nationwide and
- 6 in 10 in London.
- Keyless repeaters and signal amplifiers enable criminals to unlock cars – they are the most common way theft from or of a vehicle
- A significant proportion of vehicle theft is driven by organised crime groups
- ‘These devices have no legitimate purpose’ (Jenny Simms – NPCC)
The source of this information is understood to be the 2022/23 Crime Survey for England and Wale – read more here.
However, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is unable to verify the information. Asked to:
- disclose how many car thefts are recorded by the MPS as involving/using:
a. keyless technology i.e. ‘relay theft’ or ‘jamming’, Ideally separating the figures by methodology used
b. keys – acquired by whatever means
c. burglary
d. violence or threat thereof
e. fraud - Please provide data in Excel format from
a. 01/01/202 to 31/12/2024
b. 01/01/2025 to today - How many people have been arrested or charged on suspicion of carrying out the above offences in the same periods
- The number of fraudulent allegations of vehicle taking reported to the MPS for the same period – potentially ‘no crimed’ or prosecuted from fraud/wasting police time etc.
- The consideration given to the crime methodologies above being recorded in a readily retrievable format – the consideration given to the MPS Crime Report Information System (CRIS) reincluding a flag / code or any other mechanism from which this crime/management information could be produced, that would highlight the number of reported Theft or Taking of vehicle crimes related to keyless technology
The information could not be provided. It was explained:
To locate the information relevant to your request searches were conducted at the Digital Data and Technology directorate. The searches located information relevant to your request.
This letter is to inform you that it will not be possible to respond to your request within the cost threshold. This response serves as a Refusal Notice under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). Please see the legal annex for further information on the exemptions applied in respect of your request.
Cannot see anywhere on CONNECT Investigation that there is any kind of marker to denote keyless entry (signal jammer/relay etc.) to effect vehicle theft.
I know there used to be a feature code for this on CRIS but it was removed a good few years ago, which is probably what you are referring to. On that basis there is no data we can supply for this request, only policy questions to be answered elsewhere in the organisation.
To locate and retrieve information in relation to keyless technology ‘relay theft’ or ‘jamming’ would require a manual read of thousands of motor theft crime reports.
We therefore estimate that the cost of complying with this request would exceed the appropriate limit. The appropriate limit has been specified in regulations and for agencies outside central Government; this is set at £450.00. This represents the estimated cost of one person spending 18 hours [at a rate of £25 per hour] in determining whether the MPS holds the information, and locating, retrieving and extracting the information.
I would like to provide you with advice as to how you may narrow your request so that it does not exceed the appropriate limit.
If you were to submit a new FOI request the MPS may be able to provide information to answer question 5 within the cost limit, subject to any exemptions that may apply.