WMnow Newsletter 26/03/26

It’s been a busy shift for your local Rurals policing team, with multiple arrests, missing people and stolen vehicles and fallen trees

It’s the latter that I want to use this weeks WM now to cover; preventing vehicle thefts and how you can best help us in finding stolen vehicles.

We’ve seen a recent rise in “relay theft” where thieves will attend the property and using a device such as an ipad or a phone will capture the signal from wireless car keys which have been left by a door or window and relay it to someone waiting with a receiving device next to the car, we’ve seen an uptick of pick up trucks such as Ford Rangers and Toyota Hi-Lux’s being stolen via relay theft.  With wireless car keys becoming more common these days, we advise storing the keys in a faraday bag and keeping them away from doors/windows to best prevent the chances of relay theft

You can also help is with recovering stolen vehicles as well by simply being observant of what cars are on your street.  With cars becoming more technologically advanced thieves will often steal them and then hide them on quiet streets and in alleys in case the vehicle has a built in or aftermarket tracker fitted, they will then return to the vehicle several days later to see if it’s still there to secure their ill-gotten gain. As residents we all become accustomed to which vehicles our neighbours are driving plus the streets around our homes and where people like to park.  You may notice a vehicle that’s been poorly parked and out of place, perhaps on a kerbside where no one would ordinarily park if they lived in the area, and whilst it may simply be someone visiting a friend or a family member, it could very well be stolen; especially if the vehicle has been parked there for several nights.  The vehicle may also be out of place for the area such as an Aston Martin parked haphazardly in a loading bay behind a business in the early hours of the morning, if you suspect a vehicle may be stolen then please call us on 101 with the vehicles registration plate and why you suspect it to be stolen, it takes seconds for us to check a vehicle on the Police national database to see if it’s been reported as stolen and your call could make all the difference in helping someone getting their car back.