Crime alert and prevention advice

Dear Lower Morden

The ward has seen an increase in burglaries and thefts of vehicles. Recently we had two teenage boys attempting to break into a property in Garth Road some weeks ago. They were dressed all in black with their faces covered and wearing gloves. It's believed they had a device which clones or “bounces” the signal from car keys within the property and they are able to start the vehicle. Suspects were also seen in Wolsey Crescent, unknown if they are the same, peering over fences and again attempting to gain entry to a house. 

Please call 999 if seen at the time.

Lock your vehicle

Locking your vehicle, even when filling up or parked on your drive, greatly reduces the possibility of it being targeted by an opportunist thief. Even if you have locked your vehicle, check you haven’t left any windows or the sunroof open.

It is actually illegal to leave your vehicle running unattended while you de-ice it or warm it up in cold weather. If someone takes it while it’s left like this, your insurer won’t pay out because you won’t be covered.

If your vehicle has wing mirrors that fold in automatically when locked, make sure you lock it properly. Criminal gangs are looking for vehicles like these where the wing mirrors are still out because it is clear to them that the vehicle has been left unlocked.

Keep the keys safe

Vehicles today are by and large more difficult to steal than ever, unless the thief can access your key or fob to clone them. Keep your keys safe, out of view when at home, and away from your front door. It’s not uncommon for car keys to be stolen from inside your home by thieves fishing for them with a stick and hook through the letterbox.

If you're selling your car and you meet up with a potential buyer, do not allow the keys out of your sight. Your keys may be cloned by thieves and used later to steal your vehicle.

Keyless entry 

Keyless car theft or 'relay theft' is when a device is used to fool the car into thinking the key is close by. This unlocks the car and starts the ignition.

Thieves only need to be within a few metres of your car key to capture the signal, even if it’s inside your home. This means that even if your car and home are secure, thieves can still unlock, start and steal your car.

When at home keep your car key (and the spare) well away from the car.

Put the keys in a screened or signal-blocking pouch, such as a Faraday Bag.

Turn off wireless signals on your fob when it's not being used.