People trying car doors - every night in ED?

[DovertheRoad]

It's obviously smart to lock your car. But on the rare occasion, usually when I've done a 14 hr day at work, am carrying 8 bags of shopping and 3 kids under 5 into the house I've forgotten. And the three times I've done this in the past 3 years or so (one this week) someone has gone in overnight for a rummage. There's never anything valuable taken as there's not much to take. My fault for being stupid.

But it's interesting there's a near 100% chance someone will try your car door handle overnight in ED. Still plenty low level crime.

/message ends

[Galileo]

Do you unlock your car with a button (as opposed to putting the key in the local? There is such a thing as relay theft - thieves have special pieces of equipment that pick up the signal being emitted by your keyfob by standing near your front door, and then ?relay? it on to their mate by the car that has another piece of equipment that emulates the signal and unlocks the car. Assuming the actual key is required to start the car then they can?t drive off with it but they can have a rummage for anything of interest. It happened to my neighbour recently. If this is what?s happening then you can store your car keys in a metal box to block the signal, or buy special cases for the keys online (which is what my neighbour did).

It?s pretty much the only benefit I can think of of not being able to park near my house, the relay theives don?t know which car to relay the signal to (got to find the positives where you can!) My neighbour has a dropped kerb so it?s clear her car belongs to her house.

[TTW]

This happened to me. I was convinced I?d left the car unlocked, but then it happened again and I knew the car was locked and I realised it was relay theft. V common in this part of SE London

[yeknomyeknom]

Same happened to us once. They took all our coppers stashed in the cup holder. We felt silly for leaving our car open, greatful we didn?t lose anything of value and desperately sad for the poor person who valued our coppers enough to steal.

[Mick Mac]

yeknomyeknom Wrote:

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> Same happened to us once. They took all our

> coppers stashed in the cup holder. We felt silly

> for leaving our car open, greatful we didn?t lose

> anything of value and desperately sad for the poor

> person who valued our coppers enough to steal.

Call the coppers!

[Earl Aelfheah]

I left my car unlocked for several days (by accident) and nobody went in there, so it doesn't always happen. Sorry you've had this happen to you though and glad nothing of value was taken.

[ed_9jp]

This happened to us last November (top of Landcroft road) - car opened, ransacked - nothing taken (nothing to take). We have had issues with our car doors not locking properly, so it may have been left unlocked unintentionally.

[fishbiscuits]

It's happened to me twice... luckily nothing of real value taken, apart from a pair of cheap prescription glasses.

I think I must have left it unlocked. I don't believe that people are using high-tech equipment to break into cars, and then stealing items of negligible value. It doesn't add up at all.

[uncleglen]

Here is a report mentioning 'keyless' thefts

http://www.aftermarket-insurance.co.uk/cars-stolen-for-export-in-the-east-of-england/

I knew about this type of crime from my sister. In her area- not far from Tilbury (dock area) -the car theft is twice the national average

[Han92-ED]

My partner saw someone trying to open a few cars last night on Hindmans Road. Make sure to not leave anything out everyone!

[Sue]

HannahMorris-ED Wrote:

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> My partner saw someone trying to open a few cars

> last night on Hindmans Road. Make sure to not

> leave anything out everyone!

Did s/he call the police?