Crime Prevention Message – Park Smart

On this month’s Crimecall, Sergeant John Fitzpatrick was in studio to discuss vehicle theft prevention advice.

Theft of vehicles increased significantly in 2022, with over 4,000 theft incidents being reported. There was a 21% increase in the number of incidents reported during 2023 (4978 incidents reported) in comparison to 2022.

During 2023, the majority of reported incidents occurred between 6pm and 4am, which accounted for almost 60% of incidents.

Since 1998, immobilisers have been installed in all new vehicles for sale in the EU. Immobilisers work by restricting an essential component part of the engine unless the correct key is used to start the vehicle. They are very effective in reducing vehicle theft.

If you have a vehicle without an immobiliser, you should consider having one retro fitted. Many immobilisers now work in conjunction with an alarm. Therefore, if an attempted theft is made to your vehicle it will not start and the alarm will sound.

Various other security devices are also available that you can consider installing to protect your vehicle:

Steering wheel locks work by simply locking onto the steering wheel preventing the steering wheel from turning. They also act as a visual deterrent as most are yellow in colour and are clearly visible from outside the vehicle.

External wheel lock or clamps can also be fitted onto the wheel of the vehicle along with handbrake locks, gear stick locks and pedal locks which often have an additional alarm function.

All these items act as a deterrent and can make your vehicle less attractive to criminals.

Keyless Entry

Many modern vehicles utilise a keyless entry system. They work by sending a signal between the key and the vehicle. Relay signal theft can occur when the signal of the key is mimicked and used to gain entry to a vehicle. In order to prevent the key signal transmitting while away from the vehicle, the key can be placed in a Faraday bag or box or even a biscuit tin for storage. By doing so, these items restrict the radio signal from being emitted from the key and reduce the risk of it being copied.

Theft from Vehicles

In order to mitigate against the risk of theft from your vehicle always lock and double check the security of the doors and windows. You should remove all valuable items from your vehicle. However, if you must store valuable items in the vehicle consideration should be given to enhancing the locking systems and installing a GPS tracker. In addition, a sensor linked to your house alarm can be fitted to the vehicle and activate when you are at home. Consideration could also be given to fitting a secure locked storage chest or cage vault within vans.

General vehicle safety advice:

• Buyers should check the security features of vehicles and make decisions relating to augmenting security
• A visible steering wheel lock or chain should be considered
• Leave expensive property at home or work, if not required
• If you must leave valuables in a vehicle, do not leave them on show - A good idea is to leave an empty glove box open, showing would-be criminals that there is nothing for them to steal.
• Lock doors and fully close windows. Don’t be tempted to leave the windows slightly open.
• Fit an alarm
• Fit an immobiliser or use a physical lock
• Install a tracker
• Use a catalytic convertor lock
• Park under streetlights or in a secure carpark
• Park where there is CCTV, when possible
• Fit theft-resistant number plate fittings