Thieves Outsmart Keyless Ignition Systems in Southport Vehicle Crime Spike

Police are investigating a number of thefts of cars that have taken place over the last 10 days in the Southport area. Three of these occurred within a small area of Marshside between Tuesday 22nd and Friday 25th October.

Of the cars stolen, one has since been recovered in the Greater Manchester area and another was recovered in the Preston area. The others remain outstanding as stolen.

In some instances the offenders have used a scanner to obtain the signal for the fob of keyless ignition cars. Owners with keyless ignition fobs are advised to keep them in a 'Faraday pouch' (foil lined pouch) or a tin and keep them well away from windows and doors to avoid the signal being scanned.

Unfortunately, there have been some instances where offenders have broken into houses to obtain the keys. Changing locks to 'anti-snap' barrels and securing patio doors with 'pat locks' can reduce the risk of this type of burglary, and if you have a house alarm, please use it.

Owners of high value cars are advised to take extra measures to keep vehicles secure. Additional security measures such as steering locks, wheel clamps or driveway posts can make the difference to vehicles being targeted. Even using other vehicles parked across driveways may reduce the risk of vehicles being targeted. Always double check that cars have been left locked and with alarms set before going to bed.

Now that the clocks have changed, ensure the time on any CCTV systems is updated, as investigations into burglaries/vehicle thefts will look for any CCTV that may assist the investigations.

Never leave anything of value in your car. Not even a carrier bag on a seat.

Please always report any suspicious activity around vehicles on either 101 or 999 in an emergency. Patrols will be working across the 24 hour period in the areas where vehicles have been targeted.