Latest crime figures have revealed there has been a staggering 25 per cent increase in car thefts in the UK over the past year with Land Rover now found to be the country’s most stolen vehicle brand.

We speak to Yorkshire enhancement specialists SC Audio & Security who are helping to fight the wave of thefts with
the latest crime preventative technology.

Britain’s most-stolen car has been named as the Land Rover as criminals develop new ways of targeting unsuspecting motorists. The latest figures reveal how one in every 100 Land Rovers was swiped between March 2022 and March 2023.

And the alarming report now indicates a Land Rover is three times more likely to be stolen than the second most popular target for thieves, the Mercedes-Benz.

The data, acquired by Confused.com paints a worrying picture of the country’s car theft landscape.

Among the 896,948 licensed Land Rovers in the UK, 8,284 were reported as stolen during the 12 month period, equating to 924 thefts for every 100,000.

Six of the top 10 most stolen models are made by Land Rover, with the Range Rover Velar R-Dyn found to be the most targeted.

With an average of 159 vehicles recorded as stolen each and every day on average in the 12-month period, a total of 58,082 cars, vans and motorbikes were reported missing in the past year.

And thieves are now adopting ever more sophisticated techniques to make off with people’s prized motors.

Car hackers are now using hardware to override a car’s security system which are bought online for around £1,300 and allow a 90-second get-away.

It is a trend that SC Audio & Security, a Bradford-based team who specialise in the security and enhancement of vehicles, have seen first-hand across Yorkshire and the demand for their work fitting the most advanced security devices and tracking systems to private cars and dealership cars has soared in recent months.

Company Owner Shane Chambers, who has over 30 years experience in the industry  and who specialises in the installation of state-of-the-art immobilisers along with tracking systems and alarms believes it is a war the criminals are winning with police unable to combat the rising number of thefts.

He said: “The latest figures show Land Rovers and Range Rovers are being taken at an alarming rate and in London 90% of cars stolen every day are Range Rovers.

“This is a trend that is spreading across the country and in Yorkshire we are seeing more and more thefts of these vehicles on a daily basis.

“The bulk of our work now comes from fitting sophisticated tracking systems and ghost immobilisers to Range Rovers and prestigious sports cars but in recent years the rise in thefts across all makes and models has been significant.

“Car thieves are now adopting more refined ways of stealing cars with signal boosters to amplify the signal between key and car on the rise and we as an industry are always having to stay one step ahead to beat them.”

Using the latest technology in security from Global Telemetrics and Autowatch UK, Shane and his son Jamie are now one of the region’s most trusted car security experts and offer an accredited Yorkshire-wide mobile installation service that can visit your home, place of work or dealership to complete the work.

Shane added: “Cars are basically stolen to be either sold overseas, to be stripped for their parts, cloned or used for criminal activity.

“Thankfully with the latest technology that we work with a wide range of options available, there’s a way to minimise car theft and here at SC Audio and Security we’ve got all the solutions to keep your pride and joy safe.”

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