Thieves are over! Car crime is on the rise – so here’s how you can fight back and prevent it from happening to you
As criminals use increasingly sophisticated methods to steal modern cars packed with hi-tech digital security, an old-fashioned piece of gear is making a remarkable comeback: the humble steering wheel lock.
Thieves use a variety of electronic scanners and relays to open car doors and start engines, but a physical deterrent has proven to be one of the most effective deterrents.
Why? Scammers don’t like to spend too long at the scene of their crime. And the more time they spend bypassing a strong security device like a steering wheel lock, the more likely they are to be spotted and possibly apprehended.
Prices range from under £20 for a standard Halford’s own-brand single-bar steering lock (£14.99), to a mid-range Stoplock pro Elite Immobilizer (£59.99), to £145 for a Thatcham-approved Disklok.
Analogue security: Steering wheel locks are making a comeback as they are an effective deterrent to thieves who use hi-tech devices to crack cars’ digital security systems
Robert Forrester, chief executive of car dealership franchise Bristol Street Motors, part of the Vertu Motors group, said: ‘Searches on Google for steering wheel locks are up a whopping 83 percent from around this time last year.
While 50 percent more users are looking for advice on the ‘best steering wheel lock’.
He explains: ‘A steering lock is well worth the investment. These devices may remind drivers of decades gone by, but they are actually one of the most effective deterrents to have in your car.
Not only are they off-putting to thieves looking for an easy target, but a good quality lock is virtually impossible to remove by force.”
Clive Wain, head of police liaison at car security company Tracker, said: ‘Criminals continue to find ways to get around new security technologies. protect their vehicles.’
Tracker says keyless car theft and ‘relay attack’ have increased significantly from 80 percent of all stolen vehicles recovered in 2017 to 93 percent by 2022.
It emphasizes: ‘Always protect your keychain. Keyless car theft works via a relay-style electronic device that tricks your key fob signal into thinking the key is near the car and then allows the device to take all of the key fob’s power.
To avoid this, keep the key – and also the spare key – away from where the vehicle is kept when not in use, and block the signal by keeping the key fob in a closed tin or Faraday bag .’
Recent crime figures show that as the cost of living rises, car thefts have risen by nearly a third, with the AA warning of worse as more people are tempted to turn to crime.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the number of stolen cars increased by 29 per cent between September 2021 and the same month in 2022, when just over 72,000 vehicles were reported stolen.
The figures also indicated a 14 percent increase in vehicle crime to 391,613, including theft of items from cars and vans.
Official DVLA vehicle theft data, analyzed by car leasing comparison site LeaseLoco, showed that the popular hatchback of the Ford Fiesta family was the most stolen vehicle last year, with some 5,979 thieves (53 percent more than in 2021).
It was followed by the luxury Range Rover (5,533, up 47.4 percent); Ford Focus (2,186, up 14.3 percent), Volkswagen Golf (2,036, up 16 percent) and Land Rover Discovery (1,920, up 52.4 percent).
The AA says older cars are targeted by thieves using “smash and grab” techniques. But modern vehicles are often stolen by gangs using keyless technology.