Car criminals exposing shipping loopholes

As car security technology becomes more sophisticated, so, unfortunately do car criminals.As reported on the BBC One show Cars, Cops and Criminals, criminals are exploiting loopholes in the shipping industry allowing them to export stolen vehicles via the docks. Thankfully however, there are means to reduce this risk – particularly tracker technology.The show reported on two stolen Mercedes. One was fitted with a tracker device and this allowed police to trace it at the docks where the cars were found in shipping containers, one of which was destined for Hamburg.According to Stuart Chapman, the police relationship manager for TRACKER, a tracking device can make all the difference in the likelihood of a vehicle being recovered.“Our work with police forces around the UK shows increasing numbers of vehicles being stolen for illegal export using the docks,” he said.“Our data reveals that 75 per cent of all stolen cars recovered by TRACKER are stolen using the owner’s key, through car-jacking, house burglary, or in public places. We are finding vehicles fitted with TRACKER en route or at the docks in shipping containers or HGV trailers. Thankfully, as we use VHF frequency, we can still get a signal to track these vehicles.“Every month we help to recover an average £2million worth of stolen vehicles.  To date, we have recovered more than 19,000 stolen vehicles, worth a staggering £420 million, and assisted the police in making over 1,900 car thief arrests.” TRACKER’s stolen vehicle tracking and recovery systems inform the police of the initial location of a stolen vehicle. It will also raise an alert if there is any attempt to jam the communication system or tamper with the unit – this means that the police and owner are informed about a theft immediately.

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