VICTORIA. — Victoria Police seized more than 900 car key cloning devices from car thieves across Victoria in the past year as police proactively mailed safety advice to owners whose vehicles are at particular risk.
Police intelligence reveals 43 per cent of these devices were seized by police at search warrants and during intercepts of suspicious vehicles in the North West Metro Region.
The main areas included the Melton, Whittlesea and Hume Police Service Areas (PSA).
Twenty-three of the devices were seized in the Southern Metro Region, followed by the Eastern region at 21 per cent, and the Western Region at 11 per cent.
Police estimate more than 10,000 vehicles are stolen using these key cloning devices each year – equating to 30 cars being taken in this way every day across the state.
Thieves are using the mimicking and cloning technology to override car security systems, with popular makes and models with push-start ignitions as the main target.
Toyota Corollas, Toyota Land Cruisers, Holden Commodores, Hiluxes, RAV4s and Subaru Imprezas are among the most targeted vehicles by car thieves.
Police are proactively letter-dropping and talking to car owners once they park their vehicle to provide them with car theft safety advice.
Last week, Transit police and PSOs spoke to car owners in and around Ringwood train station to ensure their cars were locked and windows secure, handing out dozens of pamphlets with self-guarding tips.
During the patrol, members checked the door handles and windows of various cars for security gaps or if there were any valuable items left visible.
The registration details of vehicles that were identified as high risk – such as those that weren’t locked or models including the Toyotas and Subarus with push-start ignitions – were logged by police and PSOs for follow-up pamphlets to be mailed to their home address.
Police also advise car owners to install an on-board diagnostic port lock, which prevents offenders from connecting a reprogramming device to a vehicle.
These locks are affordable and can be self-installed.
Police also recommend using a steering wheel lock and parking your vehicle off the street and in a garage if possible.
Vehicles should always be locked, even if parked at home, and never left running unattended.
Police have recovered around 80 per cent of cars stolen in the past year.
People can now check whether a car is stolen using the online tool on the Victoria Police website, which was recently launched to assist police in recovering stolen vehicles sooner.
The public can enter the registration, make and model of a suspect vehicle to check if it is listed as stolen and then report its location to police.
Stolen vehicles should be reported to the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.
If you require immediate police assistance, always phone Triple Zero (000).
