Dear Resident,

We are aware of reports of expensive performance vehicles being stolen in the south of the country. We have seen a rise of such thefts in our local police area and we are keen to work with you to help prevent further incidents.

The majority of thefts within the area are what we refer to as ‘keyless thefts’. There are three distinct types of keyless theft and all utilise expensive digital equipment to complete. One of these is a ‘Relay Theft’, where offenders will boost the signal from keys stored within your property in order to start the vehicle parked on your driveway. The other two methods (referred to as an On-Board Diagnostic Theft or a CAN Bus Theft) require offenders to break into your vehicle before plugging software either into the dashboard or the front/rear of your vehicle. Faraday bags will help prevent Relay Theft, but they will not prevent the other two methods. 

The two biggest pieces of crime prevention advice we can recommend are physical barriers to someone driving your vehicle away:

Steering Wheel Locks – To stop the physical movement of your vehicle. Not only do they act as a deterrent, but they can prevent someone being able to drive off in your vehicle. 

Other physical barriers – Through the positioning of your vehicle on your property, or through the installation of metal bollards in front of your vehicle. 

Make/models being targeted currently include Mercedes, BMW’s, Ford Mustangs and Range Rovers. Any vehicle with a digital-style key, however, can and will be targeted. 

Please ensure gates to properties are locked/secured and, where possible, park vehicles out of sight, for example in a garage. If you have CCTV then please check that it is operating correctly and if not, you may wish to consider fitting cameras or a smart video door-bell. If your vehicle is fitted with a tracker, it is strongly advised that this be left switched on at all times. 

Lastly, if you see anyone acting suspiciously, such as vehicles/people in the area paying an interest in your/your neighbour’s property, please do report this to Thames Valley Police via 101 or on line through the TVP website. We would be happy to attend your home to provide a security assessment with advice.

By working together, we can help to deter offenders and reduce crime. For more information on Keyless Vehicle Theft, we advise some research of the three distinct methods on the internet. Videos of each style of theft can be found online. 

We hope to deliver more communication to you shortly via social media. 

Thank you. 

Thank you.