New data has found that keyless car crime has soared to an all-time high, with drivers warned of the vehicles that are most at risk of being targeted.
Research from Tracker Network UK reported that it recovered 110 stolen vehicles in April this year, compared to just 47 in April 2023.
This marked the biggest monthly haul in Tracker's history, with 2024 already proving to be a record year for the recovery company.
So far between January and April, a total of 352 vehicles have been recovered, with a combined value of £8.4million, with £2.7million worth of cars being found last month alone.
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Drivers can buy a Faraday pouch to minimise the risk of having their car stolen PALast year, 199 vehicles were recovered with a value of just over £4.6million in the first four months of 2023.
Tracker also noted that 14 arrests had been made, seven so-called "chop shops" were uncovered and 21 other non-Tracker-fitted vehicles were recovered as a result of its activations.
Clive Wain, head of police liaison at Tracker comments: "Several factors are contributing to the continued rise in vehicle theft, including the easy exploitation of keyless car systems by criminals and continued demand for quality second-hand car parts.
"94 per cent of cars we recovered last year were stolen without the keys being present.
"And we saw a 72 per cent increase in the number of illegal chop shops we shut down in partnership with the police, due to our locating stolen cars in them that had Tracker devices fitted."
He also warned that the rise in "chop shops" was being driven by criminals stealing cars for their parts and then shipping them abroad.
Essex, Greater London and Kent were found to be hotspots for chop shops, with criminals targeting areas with key ports and good transport links to help them distribute the parts to areas like Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The data from Tracker also found that the Toyota RAV4 was one of the most valuable and targeted vehicles recovered in recent months, with recoveries seen in London, Milton Keynes and Essex.
Tracker made the recovery of a £38,000 RAV4 in London in under two hours of it being reported stolen, with the police able to retrieve six other non-Tracker-fitted vehicles.
Another RAV4, with a value of £33,000, was recovered in under an hour in Milton Keynes, leading to four other vehicles being found as well as five arrests being made.
Lexus vehicles have also been targeted by thieves with a £12,500 RX model recovered in Enfield, an RX250H in Waltham Cross and a £26,000 Wembley recovery of a Lexus UX250H.
Keyless car thefts have increased dramatically in recent years with criminals using cheap and rudimentary relay devices to target high-end cars and steal them without the owner of the vehicle being aware of any changes.
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The number of illegal chop shops are on the rise SOUTH YORKSHIRE POLICETo help combat keyless car thefts, drivers are being urged to invest in a Faraday pouch, which helps block the signal of the relay device and the car fob, preventing thieves from gaining access to the car.
Other security measures include installing security cameras, parking in well-lit areas or in garages and installing a tracking device to speed up recovery of the vehicle if it is taken.
