THIS is the shocking moment cops raided a workshop full of stolen luxury cars from sleek Audis to a £80,000 Mercedes.
Officers found a cache of premium motors at an illicit warehouse at Venue Close, in Nechells, Birmingham on December 23.
5
5
5
West Midlands Police traced the site after a lead following a car burglary in Staffordshire earlier this month.
Cops discovered a Mercedes M4, VW Golf and an Audi which were undergoing the process of having their ID’s changed.
Eight men were arrested on suspicion of theft of motor vehicle and two were also arrested on suspicion of burglary.
They have all been bailed while investigations continue.
West Midlands Police said in a statement: “We swooped on an industrial unit on Avenue Close in Nechells just after 3pm yesterday after receiving information that a car stolen in a car key burglary in Staffordshire earlier this month was there.
“Inside, we arrested eight people and seized a Mercedes M4 stolen in Staffordshire, a VW Golf on false plates which had been taken in Dudley, and an Audi, which will be examined to see if it was stolen.
“Eight men were arrested for theft of motor vehicle, and two of them were arrested for burglary. All have been bailed while further enquiries are carried out.
“Equipment which is believed to have been used to modify vehicle identification numbers was also seized.”
Fortunately, there are several things drivers can do to make their car more secure.
Experts have urged motorist to choose well-lit areas with surround CCTV security cameras.
A website called Park Mark has been designed to help drivers find facilities approved for their car safety.
Meanwhile, if you park at home, driveways in view of the road are more likely to be targeted.
Vehicle owners in high risk areas have been advised to consider installing a parking bollard in front of their vehicle.
Car safety gurus also suggest never putting your keys somewhere that’s easily in sight, and try and put them as far away from the car as possible.
Motor experts warned drivers with keyless tech, to invest in a faraday pouch or box.
Available from around £5, you can put your keys inside and then seal the pouch or box, which should stop crooks connecting with any ‘keyless’ signals and gaining access to the vehicle.
And, an obvious physical deterrent, and one of the most effective is a steering lock.
Not only will these deter thieves in the first place, they will make it more time-consuming to steal the motor.
Simple methods to protect your motor in 2024
By Jacob Jaffa
EXPERTS have shared three effective methods to protect your motor in 2024 after thefts hit an all-time high last year.
Security specialists from Swansway Motor Group, a family-owned dealership brand based in Cheshire, shared the handy tips and emphasised the importance of “strategic thinking” to stay one step ahead of criminals.
Data from LV General found that 2023 was the worst year on record for car thefts, making it more important than ever to know how to keep your vehicle safe.
Fortunately the team at Swansway have all the tricks you need.
First of all, they urged drivers to consider “strategic parking” to both make the car harder to steal and make it a less attractive target.
Thieves are more likely to try and pinch motors that are out of the way and in non-secure spaces.
Instead, try and store yours in a locked garage, barrier-protected car park or, at least, a well-lit street, preferably with CCTV coverage.
This will make it much harder to make off with it without being spotted.
The second tip is to use “old-fashioned” visual deterrents.
Things like steering wheel locks and distinctive custom markings or bright paintwork can make it more time-consuming to actually steal the car and harder to conceal it afterwards.
Even keeping your car very clean can put off any shady characters as opportunistic thieves tend to target neglected vehicles on the basis that they won’t be missed.
Finally, the experts also shared a nifty trick for combatting a more modern and sinister form of theft.
The rise of keyless ignition has led to the increasing chance of “relay thefts“, where criminals intercept the signal by which your key fob communicates with your car and replicate it, as good as handing them the keys.
Fortunately, this can be easily prevented by keeping your fob in a Faraday pouch, which blocks wireless signals, when not in use.
A Swansway spokesperson said: “Faraday pouches are a simple, yet highly effective tool.
“By shielding your car keys from external signals, these pouches prevent remote signal interceptions, a common method used by modern thieves to gain access to vehicles without needing the physical key.”
5
5
