Car thefts rise in retail parks as thieves jam key fobs

MOTORISTS should double-check that their cars have locked when they go to the shops, a senior police officer has said, warning that thieves are jamming fob signals in retail car parks.

Supt Jim Munro, of West Midlands Police, told drivers not to assume vehicles left in car parks for only a few minutes were safe.

“Criminals are exploiting this,” he explained. “They’re using devices in order to block signals where people are trying to lock their cars with their fobs. When you’re locking your vehicle, make sure that vehicle is locked, that the signal is not being blocked, no matter how long you’re leaving the vehicle for.”

Police believe a surge in vehicle thefts in some parts of the UK is linked to a shortage of car parts.

Some 88,915 thefts of vehicles during the 12 months to March 7 were recorded by the 34 police forces that provided full figures in response to Freedom of Information requests. That suggests an average of 244 vehicles are being stolen every day – one every six minutes.

Six areas recorded an increase in thefts compared with the same period two years previously. These were: South Yorkshire, up 28 per cent; City of London, up 25 per cent; West Midlands, up 19 per cent; Surrey, up 12 per cent; Merseyside, up 4 per cent; and Greater Manchester, up 1 per cent.

Factory shutdowns around the world because of the coronavirus pandemic have resulted in a shortage of semiconductor chips and other components.

Mr Munro said there was a correlation between the most common car brands on the road and the models most targeted by thieves, as their parts had “a particular high value because of the amount of people that want those”.