Europe and the UK

News items from Europe and the UK

Police deploy clever tech to crack motorcycle crime

Britain’s leading bike crime expert says that despite a reduction in UK thefts, it’s still a massive problem and has outlined how police are turning to social media and modern tech in a bid to stem the flow of stolen motorcycles. Dr Ken German, who spent 25 years with the Met’s stolen vehicle squad, told MCN that theft figures for 2019 are expected to hit 24,000 bikes, taking the tally for the last five years to 141,000…

Keyless technology sparked a sharp rise in theft of luxury cars

Keyless technology has led to a sharp rise in thefts of luxury cars, figures show. More than 14,000 premium models were stolen between January and October this year, according to an analysis of insurance claims by Direct Line. That is more than double the amount over the same period in 2015 and means a luxury vehicle is stolen once every 38 minutes on Britain's roads. Police and insurance firms believe the rise is partly because modern…

Car thefts to order: Criminals use encrypted messages in WhatsApp groups to create shopping lists of models and how to steal them

Experts have claimed that organised car thieves are using WhatsApp groups to plan and steal vehicles to order as motor thefts remain at epidemic levels.   Criminal gangs are using coded messaging on apps and even mobile games to draw up and share shopping lists of models identified as being ideal targets, relay information about how to steal specific cars and put plans in place to hide their identity. These tactics have helped to…

Thatcham releases latest results of motion sensors in key fobs that block relay attacks

Car makers have finally begun to fight back against the epidemic of keyless car crime, new tests have revealed. Six of the latest models from major manufacturers including Audi, BMW, Ford and VW received the highest security rating available in a new round of assessments that scrutinises how well vehicles stand-up against 'relay' thefts. It found that many of the latest cars with keyless entry and keyless start systems now have motion…

Van thefts hit record levels: 45% increase in four years

Almost 10,000 vans and commercial vehicles were stolen in the UK last year – a 4% rise year-on-year and a 45% increase over the last four years. The figures show that vans in London and West Yorkshire are most at risk. Of the 9,371 van thefts reported in the past 12 months, 4,777 were stolen in Great London area – a rise of 15%. The biggest yearly increase in thefts was reported in Leicestershire with 10 times more vans stolen in…

Five months after returning rental car, man still has remote control

When Masamba Sinclair rented a Ford Expedition from Enterprise Rent-a-Car last May, he was excited to connect it to FordPass. The app allows drivers to use their phones to remotely start and stop the engine, lock and unlock the doors, and track the vehicle's precise location. "I enjoyed it and logged into FordPass to be able to access vehicle features from my phone such as locking, unlocking, and starting the engine," Sinclair, who is 34,…

Car thieves can steal cars in under a minute with tech sold on Amazon

Today’s cars are equipped with the latest security tech—things like remote locks and even engine immobilizers—but, as a new report shows, it’s actually getting easier to steal vehicles. The weak link in modern car security, according to a new report from the UK’s What Car, are the keyless entry systems and push button ignitions that are so commonplace today. Although those technologies make car ownership more…