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Keyless car theft precautions

Protecting your car from a keyless theft

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Over the last two years vehicle crime has been on the rise in Surrey and Hampshire and a particular focus of criminals has been the theft of high value cars like BMW and Landrover who feature keyless systems. Detective Inspector Dee Fielding of Surrey Police recently said, “Keyless car theft is a crime on the rise and something that has been affecting the whole nation. Unfortunately criminals have adapted to the technology now available in cars.”

 

The different approaches to keyless car theft

Thieves are using different wireless technology gadgets to capture vehicle key fobs’ radio transmissions and over-ride them. They can do this in a number of ways including:

  • Signal jamming – here they intercept the key fob’s signal and jam it. This ensures the car remains unlocked, even though you think you’ve locked it. Whilst the thieves may not be able to drive the car away, they can use the opportunity to steal valuables in your car.
  • Signal relaying – in this case the thieves’ technology transmits with your key fob and either clones or instructs it to unlock your car’s doors and allow the ignition to work. They can then drive the car away.
  • Key programming – every car comes with a standard diagnostic port. Computer hackers have developed devices that plug into the port, boot up a vehicle’s software and then programme a blank key fob. In keyless cars this can be used to start the engine as well as unlock doors.

 

Taking preventative measures against keyless car theft

There are a number of steps you can take to help prevent your car being stolen:

  1. Make sure your car is properly locked and keep keys away from doors and windows. Surrey Police recommend placing them in metal tin or a signal blocking pouch which can prevent criminals copying the necessary access codes in the keys’ technology to gain entry to your vehicle.  Do test your blocking pouch properly works as some have been found not to offer significant protection.  Another effective storage location is a microwave.  Microwaves’ faraday cage technology blocks radio control signals and will hamper a criminal attempting to clone your keys remotely.  Just remember to take the keys out before you cook!
  2. Surrey Police also recommend checking your car manual or speak to your dealer to find out if your key has combination button presses to switch its signal off.
  3. Add physical barriers to your car’s protection such as a steering wheel lock, a driveway parking post, electronic gate or wheel clamp.  We’ve recently seen a big interest in electronically operated bollards as well as manually operated units.
  4. Get a vehicle tracker added to your car. This may in fact be a criteria of your insurance policy. It means that, if your car is stolen, you and the Police will be able to track down its whereabouts more easily.
  5. Consider adding security lighting and CCTV to your home and driveway’s protection. This can act as a deterrent but also, if your car is stolen, CCTV gives you the evidence to help Police track down the criminals.
  6. Talk to your car dealer to see if the keyless element of your vehicle’s system can be disabled.

 

Act fast

Clive Wain, head of police liaison at Tracker, a company that traces stolen cars, said it is important to act fast if your car is stolen as thieves work quickly and authorities often have just hours to trace the car once it’s stolen. “Many vehicles will be shipped to Eastern Europe,” he said, “while police have also found an increasing number of chop-shops where prestige cars are broken down for parts within hours.”

 

Summary

Car manufacturers are responding to the rise in keyless crime and developing new systems. In a recent article, Richard Billyeald, chief technical officer at Thatcham Research, the UK insurance industry’s research body said, “Manufacturers are already working on new systems. A few new models already have set-ups that aren’t vulnerable to relay attacks. The functionality is the same, but they cannot be fooled by relay devices.” If you are looking to purchase a new vehicle, it is worth checking which models give you greater protection.  Do, however, continue to take security precautions.  As manufacturers develop more secure solutions, criminals will research and develop ways to over-ride them.

 

Can we help?

If you would like to discuss physical measures to help protect your property, such as electronic gates, safes and CCTV, contact the team on t 01483 429111 or email sales@absolutesecurity.co.uk

School’s out for summer (but we’re not)

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public-sectorIt may be the summer holidays for Schools across the country but it’s certainly a busy time for our surveyors and engineers.  They are using the time to spec, install and maintain a variety of different school security systems.

Over the past few years Security has become a major part of a school’s management and governance responsibilities.  Senior management teams are under increasing pressure to ensure their school fully complies with the latest safeguarding and other staff and child protection obligations.

Smarter technology

The sites and structures of many school buildings have traditionally presented challenges when it comes to creating the right level of security protection.  The good news is that technological advances have meant intruder, access control, CCTV and fire detection systems are now more precise in pinpointing incidents across a site and issuing an alert.

Less cabling and lower costs

At the same time, wireless technology and security systems which utilise a school’s existing IP network are reducing the need for cabling and, as a result, the cost of systems is coming down. It also means that installation work can often be done discreetly during School hours, and not necessarily left till the holidays.

Greater systems integration for management efficiencies

Security technology is also integrating far more effectively with other school systems and processes.  Access control systems now integrate with electronic registration, cashless vending and school printer networks to establish permissions and provide logs and audit trails.  These systems no longer rely on identity passes, and often now feature bio-metric functionality such as fingerprinting to avoid problems occurring with lost cards.

Creating a positive learning environment

Security will always be a key concern of school management teams and rightly so.  They are responsible for ensuring both pupils, staff and equipment remain safe and secure in the School site. Security systems are helping them fulfil their obligations and create a positive learning environment.

For example, CCTV systems are supporting work within schools to tackle bullying and ensure the effective implementation of anti-bullying policies. Where schools lease out their premises out of hours, CCTV and access control systems are helping to reduce damage, theft and alert school managers to behaviour which is at odds with the school’s safeguarding policies.

If you would like to learn more about how we could help your school or college with its security arrangements, contact the team on tel 01483 791500.

A great 16 months of security solutions

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James Lewis, Business Development Manager at Absolute Security, reflects on an exciting period of innovative customer projects and cutting-edge security solutions from the team.

 

James Lewis – Absolute Security

As I look back over my first 16 months at Absolute Security, I’m delighted by so many highlights that spring to mind.  For some they’ve involved cutting-edge security innovations – with the team devising solutions to respond to the increasingly sophisticated security challenges our customers face.

Other highlights stem from the relationships I’ve formed with key customers and contacts, and how we add value and support them as their preferred security specialist.

So, whilst in a reflective mode, I thought it would be good to share some of those highlights in this post.

 

Overhauling the fire and security system at popular racing/event venue

A key project this year is the work we are undergoing, upgrading and improving the fire and security systems at a popular racing event venue.  This is to ensure they comply with the latest regulations.  It has given the venue a far more manageable solution, as well as faster reporting and more precise alerts to potential incidents as they arise.  It will greatly aid their speed of response going forward.

 

Damage-proof fire suppression for luxury car enthusiast

It was also great to help a customer who wanted a fire suppression system to protect his fleet of luxury cars.  The 31 cars are housed in an underground car park in his home and he wanted a fire suppression system which would extinguish a fire, but not damage the vehicles in any way.  Conventional systems using water or foam were clearly not suitable.  We therefore designed and installed an inert gas suppression system. This uses specific gases to extinguish a fire and, at the same time, leaves the vehicles unscathed.

 

State of the art security system for sizeable property development

Another highlight is our involvement in an extensive single dwelling property development. Here the home owner wanted a state of the art security system.  Our solution involved high-tech perimeter security, thermal imaging PTZ CCTV, security lighting and integration with their home building management system. This is so intruder detection, fire and access control integrates into the central Audio-Visual hub for the home and is managed from one source.  One safety example of this integration is that when the fire alarm is activated, all media systems throughout property automatically silence to alert the home owner.

 

Home building management systems become all the rage

In fact we’ve seen a lot of interest amongst home owners for home building management systems.  You can see the attraction for them of bringing elements such as home entertainment systems, phone, access/gate systems, heating/air conditioning as well as security and fire protection into one central control.  And many of these systems enable the home owner to view the status of their property and possessions when they’re away, via app technology.

 

Discreet fire detection

Another highlight this year was to work with a new manufacturer to Absolute Security.  Wagner, specialise in air sampling solutions – a smoke detection system that works through discreet capillary holes in the ceiling. It assesses the air quality throughout the property, raises the alarm and is room specific on the area of the activation.

 

Working with great teams

It’s been great to support our customers over the past year – not just with security solutions, but also in finding other ways to support their business.  One particular example of this was participating recently in Park Garages’ Cricket Day. The event brought together all their staff, customers and suppliers for a great day of this summer sport.

And of course it’s been brilliant to work with my not so new now, fellow colleagues at Absolute Security.  Their commitment to quality and care of our customers is impressive.  Care also extends to our role in the local community and environment.  It was really good to see a number of the sales team switching over to electric hybrid cars in 2018.

The time has certainly flown by and I’m now looking forward to my next year with the team. Given how fast security and fire prevention technology evolves, and the need to help customers protect their properties and possessions, I’m sure it’ll be another exciting year.

If you’d like to get in touch about any of the solutions I’ve described here, please contact me on t 01483 791500 or email me.

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Godalming (nr. Guildford)
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