CAR CLUBS RELEASING NEW APPS TO TACKLE CAR THEFT
Ten classic car clubs offer club apps that integrate tracking software
Britain’s classic car clubs are turning to modern technology to recover stolen vehicles, including club apps that track cars and social media campaigns.
The Rover Sport Register (RSR) is the latest car club to launch a branded app to track and trace its members’ cars in the event of theft. Making use of white-label app software, the RSR is offering heavily discounted tracking hardware, paid for solely by a monthly subscription. The club’s new app also has the option to hire a team of ‘sheriff qualified officials’ to recover their stolen car.
The MG Owners’ Club released a similar app in July last year. The club’s IT manager, Chris Towers, said: ‘We are closely affiliated with the Volvo Owners’ Club and they had already built a similar app and recommended it to us. We decided that it would be a good benefit to our members. It’s about being proactive to the threat for us.’
The value of many classic vehicles has increased since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, so there are fresh fears that enthusiasts’ classic cars are vulnerable without the benefits of modern security measures and will be targeted. This fear is further exacerbated as classic cars tend to be stored for occasional use – often not on the owner’s property.
These concerns, coupled with the number of social media posts detailing classic vehicle thefts, caused the RSR to take the initiative for its members. Chairman, Mike Maher, said: ‘Though initial interest has been slow the app has been positively received. Ultimately, it’s about using technology to give our members peace of mind.’
Experts have cautioned against discerning crime trends via social media but see the awareness it creates as a positive. Ken German, formerly of the Metropolitan Police’s Stolen Vehicle Squad and now of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, said: ‘It may be a false impression that the actual incidence of crime is up due to the visibility social media provides, but that’s not bad because it reminds enthusiasts of the threat that does really exist.’
Ten classic car clubs have launched tracking apps so far, all based on the same white-label software, My Car Club App. My Car Club App spokesperson, Luke Pemberton said: ‘This was one of those ideas that had been on the backburner for a while but we finally had the time to develop because of Covid and launched it in April last year. Ten clubs have built apps with us so far, and more than ten are currently in the pipeline.
‘We don’t have figures for classic cars specifically, but generally, the recovery rate for stolen vehicles in the UK is just 8 per cent. It simply isn’t a high priority for the police because they know that people are covered by insurance. It isn’t just about the money for classic car owners, however.
‘If your car is stolen, your chances of finding it are so much greater in the first couple of days because the car will still likely be nearby – that’s where tracking technology really helps. Very often, thieves will just leave the car in a quiet location, a quiet layby or similar, for a couple of days just to determine if the car is being tracked or not – they don’t want it bringing the police to the centre of their operation.
‘We know of people who have just been able to drive down the road and recover their vehicle themselves thanks to these trackers. Our recovery rate is 85 per cent so far.’