The sophisticated electronic devices used by criminals to steal cars should be prohibited under new laws in England and Wales.
More than 700,000 vehicles were penetrated last year – often with the help of high -tech electronic devices, including so -called signal fogs, which would play a role in four flights of 10 nationwide vehicles .
So far, the police could only bring a prosecution if they could prove that a device had been used to commit a specific offense, but under new laws in the Crime and Police Bill, it will be On someone in possession of a device to show that they had done it for a legitimate purpose.
Doing or selling a signal jammer could cause up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine.
Repeators without keys and signal amplifiers blur the signal of remote keys inside people’s houses, allowing criminals to unlock cars.
They are the most common flight of a vehicle – or the flight of the vehicle itself – occurs.
The Minister of Police, Dame Diana Johnson, said: “These flights have a devastating effect on the victims, who need their vehicles to spend their daily lives.”
According to the survey on 2022/23 crime for England and Wales, a offender has manipulated a signal of a distant locking device in 40% of vehicle flights nationwide. In London, this figure increased to around 60%.
A significant proportion of vehicle theft is also drawn by groups of organized crimes, which are constantly trying to find ways to overcome vehicle safety measures by exploiting vulnerabilities in vehicles and new technologies.
Driving groups say that car manufacturers must also intensify efforts to make vehicles safer.
The president of the AA, Edmund King, said: “This is a positive step, and these more difficult sentences should make thieves think before flying cars. Relay flight and fog Too frequent and these measures will give the police forces more opportunities to attack cars’ crime.
The council of the chief of the national police (NPCC) praised the announcement.
Lead for vehicle crime, the assistant assistant Jenny Simms said that possession, manufacturing, sale and supply of signal fogs had provided a “tool easily accessible to criminals … for too long”.
“These devices have no legitimate objective, in addition to helping criminal activity, and the reduction in their availability will support the police and industry in the prevention of vehicle theft which is damaging to individuals and businesses . ” She added.
The Crime Bill and Government Police will be presented on Tuesday in Parliament.
