Get a pouch to fob off car thieves in West Lothian

By Stuart Sommerville
Published 25th Aug 2023, 09:00 BST
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West Lothian police have advised owners of expensive keyless cars to adopt a simple measure to stop their vehicles being stolen from driveways.

Police across Scotland launched Operation Greenbay following a surge in car thefts across the country. In 2021 more than 100 cars were stolen from driveways.

From January to March this year alone, police recorded 194 car thefts in West Lothian, according to figures released in June.

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And while officers have made arrests, high end performance cars remain a favourite target of organised criminal gangs.

Owners are being advised to protect their key fobs, using a simple pouch available from the police.Owners are being advised to protect their key fobs, using a simple pouch available from the police.
Owners are being advised to protect their key fobs, using a simple pouch available from the police.

Yet a simple foil lined pouch can give the owner of a keyless car worth upwards of £60,000 a bit more peace of mind.

Keyless cars unlock automatically when their key is physically close to the car. Criminals are using relay devices to make car systems believe a key is nearby by cloning its signal. They intercept and then relay the signal from the car key using two receiver/transmitters.

Thieves track the signal to keyless cars, scanning through windows and doors of homes before cloning the entry code to gain access.

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Community Sergeant Mike Harte said: “As we have seen in previous quarters, theft of keyless vehicles have been on the increase over the last few years.

“During the first quarter, there was a slight increase in thefts. Faraday pouches are recommended; they are made with materials that block electromagnetic radiation.

“The pouch is designed to protect the key fobs, smart phones and credit cards from being hacked, tracked or compromised by electromagnetic signals. A supply of these pouches are held at Livingston Police Station.”

In a report to mark the year end performance of local police to the Public and Community Safety Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel in June, Chief Inspector Jocelyn O’Connor, the area commander for West Lothian, said: “During Q3 and Q4, officers investigated several housebreakings and thefts of high powered vehicles within West Lothian. During this, two individuals were identified as being responsible for 10 offences and have subsequently been reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

“Travelling criminals continue to be an issue.”