Earlier this month, thieves in Salford (UK) were caught trying to steal a Seat Leon after breaking into the owner’s house and taking the vehicle keys. The soldier who owned the vehicle heard the commotion in the early hours of the morning, and was able to scare them away from taking the car.

Whilst the specifics of this case may be an isolated incident, it is becoming more and more common for thieves to utilise this technique in order to steal a vehicle.  With newer vehicles fitting better security, it is easier for a thief to break into a house and take the original vehicle keys in order to then steal the vehicle.

In 2010, TRACKER, a Stolen Vehicle Recovery (SVR) specialist also based in the UK, recorded that a total of 84% of vehicles stolen and recovered by the company were thefts of the vehicle enabled by stealing the original key.  This represents a 4% increase on key thefts since 2009, and a 10% increase over those recorded by TRACKER in 2008.

Only a small percentage of vehicles are fitted with SVR and therefore TRACKER statistics may not be representative of the whole of the UK vehicle market.  However, these statistics still indicate that this method of theft is an increasing problem.

Another growing problem in some markets is thieves using ‘jammers’ to disable tracking systems using GPS/GSM technology during thefts.  Increased availability of cheap jammers on the internet has led to concerted efforts within the electronics industry, and even at a governmental level, to develop jamming-resistant systems or to modify the communications infrastructure to facilitate the detection and isolation of jammers. Some SVR suppliers have even introduced systems which have redundant communications and location technologies so that vehicles can still be tracked even if a GPS/GSM jammer is used.

SBD will be analysing the global concern regarding theft of vehicles using the original key as part of the 2011 Security Research Plan, with a full report on the subject due for release later this year. With over 15 years experience analysing trends in the automotive industry, SBD are sure to provide interesting insights. For more information about the 2011 Security Research Plan contact Kavitha Kuppuswamy at kkuppuswamy@sbd.co.uk.