Essex Targeted By Professional Thieves Stealing ‘Keyless Entry’ Cars

Just this week, Tracker has helped Essex Police Force recover yet another Range Rover Sport worth £40,000 stolen without keys, this time from South Ockendon. This latest recovery highlights the growing concern about keyless entry theft in the region; 92% of vehicles stolen and recovered by Tracker in Essex last year were stolen using this method. This stark warning comes as the county is revealed as the third highest in the UK for car theft recoveries by Tracker.

4x4 models appear a popular choice for car thieves in Essex, with the Range Rover Sport the most commonly stolen car in the county last year, followed closely by the BMW X5 and the Mercedes-Benz GLE.

London remains the top spot where cars are stolen and recovered the most.  Meanwhile, the West Midlands is a popular target for thieves rising from fourth place in 2017 to second place in 2018. Leicestershire (10th) also makes an appearance on the top ten list for the first time since the regional league tables were created by Tracker in 2009.What’s more all areas of the UK have seen a significant increase in keyless car theft.  88% of vehicles stolen and recovered by Tracker last year were keyless thefts - up 22% in just two years.

Tracker’s total value of vehicles recovered in the UK last year was over 12 million demonstrating that although in-car security continues to improve, so does the ingenuity of the criminals and the need for a tracking device is ever-present.  Clive Wain, Head of Police Liaison at Tracker explains: “Thanks to our unique longstanding working relationship with all UK police forces, 78 suspected thieves were arrested in connection with stolen vehicles we recovered last year.  That’s an increase of 66% on 2017. Not only that, but an additional 79 stolen vehicles were found alongside those vehicles recovered that were fitted with a Tracker unit.”

Operating like an electronic homing device, and unlike any other stolen vehicle recovery devices on the market today, Tracker’s unique technology can locate stolen vehicles anywhere, even when they are hidden in a garage, an underground car park or shipping container.  A covert Tracker transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t even know it’s there. 

Tracker’S TOP TEN REGIONS WHERE CARS ARE STOLEN AND RECOVERED

The Tracker Top Ten Most Stolen and Recovered league table was first published in 2009.