Theft of cars with owner's keys 'on the rise'

Date: 4/4/2011

Incidents of vehicles being stolen by thieves using the car owner's keys rose during 2010, new research has discovered.

According to Tracker, 84 per cent of all cases of motors that were stolen and subsequently recovered by the group last year involved a theft of keys.

This was an increase from 80 per cent in 2009 and 74 per cent in 2008.

Overall, the company claims that the number of vehicles stolen in this way and reported to the firm last year were worth a combined £15.8 million, leading to it urging motorists to keep their keys safe at all times.

Stephen Doran, Managing Director of Tracker, said the theft of a family car in particular could have a "major impact," particularly as in the current economic climate many households are reliant on one motor between them.

"A ten per cent increase in two years clearly demonstrates how stealing vehicles by breaking into them has become much more challenging for criminals. The reality of these figures is that car thieves now need to break into homes to steal keys or worse, physically take the keys from owners by force," he warned.

According to earlier research by swiftcover.com, £12.7 million-worth of cars are stolen every year in the UK as the owner leaves them unattended while the motor warms up.

Posted by Sarah Bailey