Car theft is on the rise as ‘new vehicles are easier to steal’

CAR crime in middle-class neighbourhoods is rising, figures have revealed, as police say drivers should buy steering wheel locks and Faraday bags to block radio signals because new vehicles are easier to steal.

Research by this newspaper reveals more than three quarters of investigations into car theft in England and Wales are unsolved and it is new hitech keyless models being targeted.

More than 78per cent end in police failing to identify a suspect, amid claims forces are so stretched they don’t have time to properly investigate car theft.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Mark Silvester, the man in charge of crime prevention for the West Midlands force, encouraged people to buy steering wheel locks and Faraday bags for their key fobs which block electronic signals that can be hacked.

Keyless models, which have become increasingly popular with middle-class families, provide criminals with a new way of stealing cars by copying the electronic information and conning the car into thinking the key is present.