Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 11 February 2021
HINCKLEY POLICE officers have issued an appeal to owners of two keyless Ford car models, following an ‘emerging threat’ of thefts of the specialist cars.
The cautious police officers have urged owners of the Ford RS and Ford ST models to keep their vehicles safe, as these models are at a higher risk of car theft and are easier for criminals to target, as keys are not needed to open them.
They stated that stealing keyless cars is a ‘specialist theft’, and have asked owners of the models to consider the following, to protect their vehicles:
- Parking the car in an area covered by CCTV cameras
- Checking if they can be parked on to a boxed-in driveway
- Turning on security lights – ‘more often than not’ is a big deterrent
- Using a wheel clamp – ‘perfect’ if away for a long period of time
- Purchasing an aftermarket GPS tracker
- Using a simple device, like a stop lock
A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police, said: “A proactive appeal was made to remind car owners to keep their keys protected, such as using faraday pouches.”
Over the past two months, officers have only received a low single-number figure regarding keyless car thefts.
Since the appeal was issued just five days ago (6 February), no new incidents of keyless car thefts have been reported.
Back in 2019, Ford added a special ‘sleep mode’ to their keyless Fiesta and Focus cars.
The ‘sleep mode’ feature stops keyless entry if the sensors don’t detect motion or movement for more than 40 seconds, however this only works within two metres of the car.