..... looking at the last threads there is obviously an active vehicle theft team in the WARWICK area as well as the North West.
My Landy 110 (see thread above 'Second. Landy stolen in a month' stolen from Cheshire last week has just been recovered from a multi story car park in COVENTRY.
It had been 'rung' to clone it as an identical defender Puma in the right colour and spec. ANPR would therefore not show it as stolen but also show it as taxed insured and MOT'D (unless the original vehicle was stolen at a later date - wouldn't that be ironic)
This is an increasing trend due now that the government have, without consultation from Crime Reduction agencies, have made tax discs obsolete, so all the thief has to do is change the plates for those of an actual car and they are away.
(excise licences were hard to duplicate and and an overt indicator for the police and public to a vehicles identity and roadworthyness.)
So in this new world how can you reduce the chances of your Landy from being stolen.
Note that we are talking about reducing the chances of your Landy being stolen, you can never stop a determined thief but you can make life difficult and redress the assistance DVLA have given criminals by introducing the cost saving measure of printing paper tax discs. (a paper disc is not a lot to ask us it when you pay them £500 a year )
10 EASY STEPS to REDUCE 'RINGiNG'
🚙 ETCH YOUR WINDOWS
This was popular twenty years ago but not so common now. Professional criminals hate it as it means replacing all the glass and it combats the brain dead thief who just swaps the plates. This simple step will also make your car unattractive to the car thief breaker as well as the ringers and could stop your car from being stolen in the first place.
🚙 A QUICK & CHEAP ALTERNATIVE
Attach your old tax disc to the windscreen by varnishing it in place. This is nothing like as effective but retains a classic look to you Landy whilst a preventing the ringer from driving away with cloned plates and an instant complete vehicle identity change.
🚙 ATTACH YOUR NUMBER PLATES WITH CHROME HEAD BOLTS
These bolts are cheap, look ok and make plate removal more difficult. They sit proud so make it difficult for the thief who tries to attach other plates with sticky pads. This is particularly effective in the rear of a car where access to the nuts will be behind a plastic panel and hard to access without damaging the car which they do not want to do. This also makes it more likely that the thief will drive away with the original plates displayed which means they can be tracked by the Police checking ANPR ( Automatic Number Plate Retrieval ) ahead you have reported your car stolen even if it is hours later.
🚙 DONT BUY A LANDY WiTHOUT A V5c
A genuine seller will have a vehicle log book (V5c) with his home address printed on it. Don't buy it if it has not got one or from another address, even if it's a bargain. WALK AWAY
🚙 DO NOT SHOW YOUR NUMBER PLATES ON LINE
How do Ringers get cloned identities. They may comb the streets looking for an identical vehicle, this is time consuming and indicates the area they are working in to some degree. They are more likely to search on line for the exact vehicle as yours down to the year and specification. Number plates can be made up anywhere and are also available on line so the thief turns up with them and nothing else (for more see the next paragraph)
MAKE THE THIEF TOOL UP ......... 🚙
No we are not back in the days of the Sweeney...
The only thing the thief will carry whilst out committing a ringing offence are the cloned plates which are easily hidden in their own vehicle I.e. Under carpets.
The more tools you make them carry the more likely they are to be arrested for the offence of 'going equipped to steal' if stopped by the Police. So in addition to the points above...
🚙 FIT 'CLUNKY' SECURITY DEVICES
Overt, highly visible security devices such as steering wheel locks, pedal locks, chains and even wheel clamps slow down criminals and prevent theft. They are relatively inexpensive and hard to remove quickly without equipment.
D🚙THINK LIKE A THIEF
Why is a criminal going to steal you car? Land Rover are rarely stolen as joy ride vehicles, or to commit crime in as they are generally slower that a Porsche 911, distinctive and carry less than a transit van. So why do they steal them?
There are three main kinds of car thief. The opportunist, who takes your car on a whim or because your keys are in the ignition, the breaker and the ringer. Each operate differently and are unlikely to change M.O.
The breaker is going to 'part out' your car or just steal the windscreen they want for their own car. these offenders are more likely to steal older cars and will not be bothered damaging the car to steal it as the body work and interior are not valuable to them. Therefore a wheel clamp is your ultimate answer.
Ringers operate in two main way and are more likely to steal newer of good condition vehicles. The first type of ringer has a donor vehicle or a ringing kit consisting of V5c, keys and locks, and VIN plates from another car. These people buy a new galvanised chassis attach the VIN plates then unbolt the stolen body onto it and sell it for its full value. Unrecorded write offs are rare so be wary of Cat D & Cat C cars. The second type of ringer wants to clone it and needs keys locks and alarm intact so will burgle your house for the keys.
The M.O. Of both types is therefore Is to steal a vehicle without causing damage.
🚙 HIDE YOUR KEYS
Hook and Cane is a popular method where the devious offender puts a fishing pole of washing line prop from your garden or shed through your letter box and fishes for the keys. Hiding your keys out of sight can reduce the chance of this happening. (I would advise keeping the keys downstairs as you don't want the determined burglar ransacking the house or coming upstairs as they will find they keys anyway).
🚙 BE OBSERVANT🚙🚙🚙🚙
Of all the points this is the one that is easiest to do and probably the most effective. Thieves will be looking for your Landy and where you park it, so look out for people following your car, suspicious cars/people hanging round and especially unexpected callers looking for the house of a girl they met in Benidorm and think may live nearby. ( This last group are ringing your bell because your Landy is on the drive, prior to kicking your door in if they don't get a reply to search for the keys)
final advice...
Don't become paranoid, report genuine suspicious people/ cars/events to the police using the 101 number (only use 999 for serious or ongoing crime) don't expect to much of a response but such criminal intelligence is precious to the police as it helps them build up a bigger picture. So don't expect them to jump through hoops or f eel it's not worth reporting because nothing happened as a result. finally don't be put off Landy ownership, lock it, put it in a garage, lock driveway gates and if you have the money fit a tracker which will not necessarily prevent crime but may lead to the arrest of the offender and will help reduce insurance company loses http.
Hope tis is helpful. The points raised here are not all inclusive and built from my own experience both on a professional basis and as a vehicle owner .I have been applying crime reduction techniques for years but rarely get to speak to the average car owner (which of course you are not as you own a Land Rover) who most needs the advice. So sorry for the rant its a response to having two lands stolen in a month ( so either I am no good at my job or a realist who accepts that if you have nice things someone will be coveting it).
). If they want it they'll try to take it, best you can do is slow them down and make it as difficult for them as possible to maybe put them off and they'll move on to an easier target, then be able to track it if they do lift it; check out Marmaduke's thread on Skytag, very handy. Might seem blindingly obvious but don't get complacent, I never expected mine to disappear from right outside the house in morning daylight, especially a narrow street with houses on both sides as people begin to get ready to go to work etc! Trail cams with motion sensors fitted overlooking where you park it are also handy. Until we can happily wire tow points and interior access points to a stonking battery though (with remote control for the owner) then these thieving scrotes will keep trying.
