Car thieves ‘infiltrating vehicle manufactures to stay ahead of latest anti-theft tech’

4 October 2024, 10:02

Car thieves are infiltrating manufacturers to gain access to the latest tech
Car thieves are infiltrating manufacturers to gain access to the latest tech. Picture: Alamy

By Owen Scott

Car thieves have been getting jobs at car manufactures so they can keep up with the latest developments in anti-theft tech.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

They are then using everything they've learned at the manufacturers to develop devices that can easily break into keyless vehicles.

The National Police Chief's Council lead for vehicle crime, Jenny Simms, told the Times that criminals are looking at new ways of keeping ahead of technological developments.

Van parked in the street on the pavement with missing stolen front of vehicle
Stolen cars and vans are often stripped for parts. Picture: Alamy

Ms Simms also said: "Criminals infiltrate every organisation where there’s profit to be made. When you’re manufacturing cars that are of a significant value, manufacturers invest so much in their security systems to make sure that they can’t be infiltrated.

"But it would be naive of us to say that criminals aren’t looking at every way they can to be ahead of technology so that they can exploit it.

“Manufacturers are very, very alive to this and they work with policing to prevent criminals from infiltrating their companies, but criminals will infiltrate wherever they can to get ahead of the curve to exploit profit."

The police have been making efforts to recover stolen vehicles, including a "national week of action" that resulted in the recovery of 325 stolen vehicles. 196 arrests were made for the thefts of the cars, which had a total value of £4 million.

The plans to fight vehicle crime more aggressively are part of a scheme named Operation Alliance, which aims to tackle serious organised crime. The operation previously targeted chop shops and ports across the country.

Car Factory Automotive Computer 3D CAD Software
Working at a car manufacturers can teach thieves how to steal newer cars. Picture: Alamy

Between April 2023 and March 2024, there were 129,159 vehicles reported as stolen, according the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

The National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership will be launched in October 2024, which will bring car manufactures together with the Home Office to prevent future car theft.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

United Airlines Boeing 777 Departing From Newark

Passengers left fuming after flight forced to divert after pilot forgets passport

David Bowie's former London home goes up for sale for under £500,000

David Bowie's former London home goes on sale for under £500,000

Breaking
More than 200,000 passengers were affected

Counter-terror police say fire that shut Heathrow ‘not a criminal matter’

Trump has defended Mike Waltz following his groupchat disaster

'He's a good man': Trump defends Mike Waltz saying he 'made a mistake' following groupchat fiasco

Chantel Bellew

Britain's Got Talent star dies aged 34

08 November 2020. London, UK. Actor, politician and leader of the Reclaim Party Laurence Fox and veterans pays his respects at the Royal Military memorial on Remembrance Sunday at  at Hyde Park Corner. Photo bye Ray Tang.

Laurence Fox charged with sexual offence after ‘sharing upskirting photo' on social media

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly agreed to join Real Madrid

Trent Alexander-Arnold 'agrees to leave Liverpool and join Real Madrid'

Female athletes compete in the 2024 Olympics 100 metres final

Female athletes to undergo mandatory testing to make sure they are biological women and 'protect sport's integrity'

Exclusive
School students browsing books in library

Kids ‘swipe books like they’re iPads’, says primary teacher - as child literacy drops since Covid

How the Lower Thames Crossing could look

£10bn Lower Thames Crossing greenlit after £300m planning application that ran 250 times as long as War and Peace

Emile, 2, went missing from a holiday home in the Alps and his remains were found months later

Grandparents of French boy, 2, found dead in Alps arrested on suspicion of murder and hiding his corpse

It is not appropriate for ministers to accept free concert tickets, housing minister Matthew Pennycook has said.

It's not appropriate for ministers to accept free concert tickets, says housing minister in swipe at Rachel Reeves

Tourists visiting Arlington Row in Bibury

'England's most beautiful village' flooded by 'intolerable' TikTok tourists, as residents hit back

Charlie Mullins has revealed he was threatened with being stripped of his OBE

Labour threatened to take my OBE, says Pimlico Plumbers boss Charlie Mullins

Matthew Pennycook

Government 'laser focused' on not buying solar panels from companies with forced labour, says minister

The 'illuminated swirl'

Eery 'glowing spiral' appears in night sky - as Met Office reveals likely cause