Crawley Police warn drivers about vehicle theft and how to prevent it

A post on Facebook from Crawley Police warned the town’s residents about giving ‘thieves an easy ride’.

The Facebook post said: “Lock your vehicle, even when filling up or parked on your drive, greatly reduces the possibility of it being targeted by an opportunist thief. Even if you have locked your vehicle, check you haven’t left any windows or the sunroof open.

“Vehicles today are by and large more difficult to steal than ever, unless the thief can access your key or fob to clone them. Keep your keys safe, out of view when at home, and away from your front door. It’s not uncommon for car keys to be stolen from inside your home by thieves fishing for them with a stick and hook through the letterbox.

“Cars with keyless entry unlock automatically when the key comes within a short distance of the car. This can be from inside a pocket or bag. If you have to push a button on your car key to open your car, you don't have a keyless entry.

“Thieves only need to be within a few metres of your car key to capture the signal, even if it’s inside your home. This means that even if your car and home are secure, thieves can still unlock, start and steal your car.

“To protect your keyless entry car, you should keep your car key (and the spare) far away from the car, and put the keys in a screened or signal-blocking pouch, such as a Faraday Bag. Re-programme your keys if you buy a second-hand car and turn off wireless signals on your fob when it's not being used.

“Double-check electronic locking as electronic devices can be used to jam the electronic signal from your key fob to lock your vehicle. Always manually check your vehicle is locked before walking away.If unsure, lock it manually, then scan the immediate area for anyone hanging around. If a potential thief who’s watching feels they’ve been spotted, they’ll probably move off.

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“Many modern vehicles are fitted with engine management diagnostic ports, which can unlock and start your vehicle.If your vehicle has this type of port, consider fitting a lockable cover.”