Thieves About

As you are no doubt aware that there has been an uptake of theft of and from vehicles in London and the South East. Some of the thieves are opportunist and some are stealing to order, such as specific types of cars. Please be reassured the met are aware of this and making efforts to catch these offenders and there several investigations going on along with intelligence gathering targeting the organised crime groups behind many of these. In conjunction with this the prevention of these crimes plays a large part in stopping them. As such, here are some tips and advice to prevent and deter them.

Car Theft

  • Ensure your car is locked before leaving it (with fully working locks)
  • Do not leave windows open
  • If available, park in a garage, if not in a well lit area. Consider adding lighting to your property.
  • For keyless cars consider a faraday bag or something similar to put car key in, but also keeping it a distance from the car. The thieves are looking to intercept the signal between the key and car using electrical equipment to open and start the car.
  • Consider a steering wheel, gear stick lock or wheel clamp, should the above occur.
  • Consider a parking post at the end of your drive.
  • Fitting tracking devices, should they get stolen there is a better chance of recovery.
  • Ensure that alarm and immobiliser is working

Catalytic Converter Theft

Some vehicles are targeted more than others. These are normally Hybrid types similar to Toyota Prius and Aurus, Honda Jazz and CR–V and Lexus RX.
  • Cat converter shields or cages can be fitted.
  • The marking of Cat converters with a non-visible liquid similar to SMART water. It will not stop them but it allows a victim to be traced if recovered.
  • Parking in a garage.
  • Parking in a position that would make it hard for them to access the underneath of the car.

Theft From Vehicles

  • Ensure your car is locked before leaving it (with fully working locks)
  • Do not leave windows open
  • If available, park in a garage, if not in a well lit area. Consider adding lighting to your property.
  • Do not leaves items on show, even if only a small amount of change.
  • Do not leave valuables in your vehicle
  • Get tamper resistant screws for registration plates as thieves target them to use on other cars for crime.
For further ideas on car and home security as well as personal safety see www.met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/
Please feel free to forward this information on to any family, friends or neighbours.
Report crime by calling 101 or in an emergency call 999.
Remember, you can also report crime online on the website: https://www.met.police.uk/


Resources