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News items from Europe and the UK
More than half of vehicle thefts in Scotland are unsolved, new figures have revealed. Police said the vehicles were often stolen to order by criminal gangs using technology to bypass entry systems on keyless cars. In the past three years, figures from Police Scotland showed a detection rate of just 24% for all vehicle crime. The data also revealed large variations in the number of car crimes solved depending on where they happened. According…
By Dr Ken German (Past IAATI UK Branch President). Riding my Harley Davidson along the N340 through the Southern Andalusian mountains, the golden eagles floating above, was absolutely magic. But my ride came to a halt when a Spanish Guardia Civil police officer marched out in front of me and waved me to the back of a queue of other riders, all destined for an all-too-frequent road check. Spain has a motorcycle theft problem…
It is easy to become absorbed by the exaggerated Hollywood depictions of car hacking scenarios – to imagine a not-so-distant future when cars or their supporting infrastructures are hacked by criminals or terrorists and turned into lethal weapons. There are reasons why such a scenario has not happened yet. But could it? And if so, how can we prevent it? Some might argue that the likelihood of cars being weaponized is extremely low, but…
With the rise of driverless and fully-electronic vehicles, the future of cars is exciting and limitless. Auto manufacturers have made important strides in technology that have improved the safety of our cars. However, as vehicles become increasingly more connected, the potential for car hacks will rise. Techaeris has developed an animated infographic with tips on how drivers can recognize and prevent car hacking against their vehicles. Click…
Car theft victims are getting a payout from insurers every eight minutes, according to new data. Around £108 million - or £1.2 million a day - was paid out in claims in the first three months of the year, according to the Association of British Insurers. This was up 22% on the same period in 2018 and comes as campaigners and politicians call on car companies to improve security, especially for keyless cars. There was also a big…
David Kennedy, founder of TrustedSec (trustedsec.com) and Binary Defense Systems, is a white hat hacker and cybersecurity consultant to major corporations, manufacturers, financials and governments. Prior to the private sector, David worked for the US Marine Corps and was deployed twice to Iraq for intelligence related missions. The auto industry is rapidly moving toward a future of driverless cars. One of the main arguments in favor…
London has seen the biggest drop in suspects being charged with vehicle theft and joyriding of any part of England and Wales in recent years, new figures reveal, writes Tommy Lumby. The RAC says that across the country thefts are increasing but fewer suspects are being identified, describing it as “the worst possible combination”. Home Office data for 2018 shows 625 out of 31,144 thefts of a motor vehicle resulted in someone being…
One of Britain’s most professional moped gangs has been jailed as police say that the scooter crime wave has halved since the 12 men were removed from the streets. The gang, who between them have committed 400 offences, were sentenced for a series of high-profile raids including a "shocking" attempted robbery where they threatened to snatch a three-year-old from his mother. Clad in black with their faces hidden by motorbike helmets, the…
Tractors stolen in Scotland are being used by criminals as international currency, according to leading rural insurer NFU Mutual. Farmers have been warned to ramp up security as demand for agricultural vehicles and machinery is increasing from criminal gangs across the world. Robbie Wallace from NFU Mutual said: “Through NFU Mutual’s work to combat agri-vehicle crime, we know that tractors, telehandlers and quads are currently in…
A crime with more than 500 victims robbed of tens of thousands of euros, which led to what has been described as the largest police operation in Belgium in the last 20 years. This week some 1,200 police in locations in Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia swooped on an organised gang suspected of running a fraud ring to trick car owners out of their vehicles. French police also searched seven premises just over the border The gang is thought…