Vehicle crime is a significant problem for the police and is one of the most common types. A thief can take as little as 10 seconds to enter your vehicle and take your property. There are several preventative measures that you can take to make life that much harder for thieves.
- Using theft-resistant number plates
- Storing car documents in your home and not your vehicle
- Close the sunroof as well as the windows
- Don’t leave things in the boot
- Take removable stereos and sat navs with you when you leave the vehicle
- Remove all personal belongings, including coats and jackets, when you leave the vehicle
- Install security gates. For Electric Gate Installers Gloucester, go to Complete Gate, a leading firm of Electric Gate Installers Gloucester.
Parking in safer locations is also a good idea, and you can look out for car parks that have the ‘Park Safe’ signs which are approved by the police ‘Safer Parking’ scheme.
You can have the vehicle’s registration number or the last seven digits of the vehicle identification number etched onto the windows. This makes your car much less attractive to thieves as it becomes harder to sell with this information visible on it. It also makes it easier to get your vehicle back to you if it is stolen.
If you’re looking at buying a new vehicle, there are many things that you will be looking out for, but did you know that if you look at the Thatcham website, you can compare the security features of new cars, vans, and motorbikes? They use a point score system, which can help you decide which vehicle has the best security features for your needs.
Fitting a vehicle tracking system is another security option to give you peace of mind in the unfortunate event of your vehicle being taken. This can be adequate protection against losing your car and makes a reunion much more likely.
How does the system work?
A tracking system will use automatic vehicle location in a vehicle with software that collects location data. They commonly use GPS to locate the car, and information about the vehicle’s whereabouts can be seen online or by specialist software on electronic maps. The systems are often used by fleet management for tracking, routing, dispatching, and security.
They are popular in private vehicles due to the ease of recovery as police follow the emitted signal to locate the stolen vehicle.
Don’t give criminals an easy ride; follow the steps above to ensure that your vehicles and property stay precisely where they should be, with you.
How vehicle tracking helps after a theft
Prevention is the first line of defence, but a tracking system improves the odds if a thief does get away with a vehicle. Trackers show the vehicle’s exact location at any time and can alert the owner or a monitoring company when it has been moved or stolen, so it can be found quickly and the damage and loss kept to a minimum.
Businesses with fleets gain further benefits. Knowing where every vehicle is helps managers cut fuel use, improve productivity and reduce losses. Better information about arrival times can also improve customer service.
Tracking also supports driver safety, because managers know where staff are if something goes wrong on the road. For private owners and fleet operators alike, a tracker sits well alongside visible deterrents such as steering locks, making a vehicle both harder to take and easier to recover.
Security devices worth considering
Start with the basics. Check that your locking system works, park in busy, well lit areas rather than quiet spots, and choose spaces covered by security cameras where you can. Once those habits are in place, think about which extra devices suit your car.
Most modern cars have a factory fitted electronic immobiliser. A transponder in the key passes a code to the ignition, and if the code is wrong the engine will not start, so check yours is working. A kill switch is less common but very effective, cutting the electrics, fuel supply or ignition when activated. Alarms are also widely fitted, and a window sticker saying the car is alarmed is itself a strong deterrent.
A GPS tracking system reports the car’s position if it is stolen, helping police and insurers find it. VIN etching is another simple step. The 17 digit Vehicle Identification Number is unique to your car, and etching it onto the windows deters thieves who plan to strip a vehicle for parts.