Keyless car theft chaos rages on after man charged with conspiracy to steal a dozen vehicles worth £600,000
12 keyless cars were stolen between August 2023 and June 2024
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A man has been charged in connection with the theft of more than £600,000 worth of keyless cars as the crime epidemic sweeps across the country.
The thefts included the removal of 12 keyless cars from BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Volvo and Porsche which were all taken between August last year and June 2024 in Lincolnshire.
Two separate BMW X4 models were stolen twice on two separate occasions while two BMW 330E were taken within the space of a few days.
A high-end Mercedes-Benz GLE and an E220 were stolen within the area while two Audi models - the Q5 and Q8 - were also taken.
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Models from BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Volvo and Porsche were all taken
PAOn Friday, June 21, a man was charged with conspiracy to steal the vehicles estimated within Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire between August 2023 and June 2024.
He was charged with conspiracy with handling stolen goods and going equipped for theft namely "being in possession of two vehicle frequency relay devices and an antenna booster,” Lincolnshire Police detailed.
He has been made subject to strict bail conditions and has had to surrender his passport to the police, wear an electronic tag and must adhere to a daily curfew between 9pm and 6am.
The man was granted bail by magistrates to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on 19 July where he will find out his sentencing.
Keyless car thefts have been rising all year, with recovery agency Tracker recording 352 vehicles being recovered.
The stolen vehicles had a combined value of £8.4million, with £2.7million worth of cars being found in the last month alone.
The Metropolitan Police Service estimated that 33,000 cars were stolen last year with 60 per cent of them from vehicles with keyless entry.
LV Insurance revealed that car theft rates continue to rise, with many falling victim to criminals taking advantage of keyless car thefts.
Many car brands have been working to implement technology that would make it harder for criminals to make use of keyless capabilities to steal vehicles.
This included Jaguar Land Rover which recently invested over £1 million to help the police prevent vehicle thefts.
The support measures come on top of the car insurance offering which looks to offset driver costs after high-profile thefts forced up premiums.
JLR said it would offer a £150 monthly insurance contribution for drivers for up to three years.
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33,000 cars were stolen last year according to the Met Police
PAThe Mayor of London criticised car manufacturers for not doing enough to help decrease car thefts and for continuing to make keyless cars which are easier to steal.
Sadiq Khan said: “The leadership and innovation of your companies is critical to tackling this issue, as you control the security features of new vehicles and can design out current and emerging security vulnerabilities.”