Vehicle owner drove car home just one hour after reporting the theft

When a Tracker customer noticed her £40,000 Lexus RX was missing from outside her home in Maida Vale and contacted the police at 5.18am on 27th February 2025, she did not expect to have the car home before breakfast. After the Tracker Network U.K. stolen vehicle recovery device installed on the Lexus was activated, it led Metropolitan Police straight to the vehicle in a supermarket carpark in Ladbroke Grove, just 8 minutes after the owner called to report the vehicle missing.

When the police arrived on the scene, the vehicle’s engine was running, and the thief was still sitting behind the wheel. Unfortunately, a partner in crime was close by on a motorcycle and helped the thief escape from the police. However, less than an hour after the theft had been reported to the police, the owner collected the vehicle from the scene and drove it safely home.

The quick recovery was only made possible by Tracker’s unique combination of VHF with GPS/GSM technology which is picked up by the tracking units fitted in police patrol vehicles. Tracker’s stolen vehicle recovery solutions work like an electronic homing device. A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t know it’s there.

Tracker is the only SVR provider supported nationwide by U.K. police services that track, locate and recover stolen assets. More than 2,000 police patrol vehicles and all police helicopters are fitted with Tracker detection units. Confirming Tracker as a superior security defence against determined thieves, Tracker boasts a 95% success rate, 50% of which are recovered within 4 hours and 80% are returned to their owners within 24 hours.

Clive Wain, Head of Police Liaison at Tracker commented: “The thief may have been congratulating himself on a successful job, but unbeknown to him, Tracker was helping police to stay one step ahead. It is unfortunate the police didn’t get close enough to make an arrest before he was able to make his getaway, but hopefully this close call means the perpetrator will think twice next time. Whether the thief planned to go onto sell the vehicle or strip it for valuable parts in an illegal chop shop, Tracker’s technology and its unique partnership with U.K. police services made it possible to stop the thief in his tracks and ensure the vehicle was returned in record time and without any damage.”

Tracker’s top tips for vehicle security

• Protect your key fob: Keyless car theft works through a relay-style electronic device tricking your key fob signal into thinking the key is near to the car and then the device can assume all key fob power. To prevent this, keep the key – and the spare too - 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. 

• Switch off and lock up: Never leave your car running idle and unattended, even when defrosting windscreens and windows on a cold morning.

• Make life difficult: Fit security posts or a substantial gate if parking on your drive, physical barriers will make thieves think twice.

• Don’t advertise your stuff: Never leave your belongings on show, lock them in the boot or take them with you.

• Keep paperwork indoors: Don’t store car documents or spare keys inside the car as it makes it easier for thieves to sell it on.

• Plan for the worst: Take car security measures to protect your car from being stolen in the first place, such as installing security lighting where you park your car and using a steering wheel lock. If criminals find a way to steal your car, having a Tracker fitted can help the police to recover your vehicle.