New law to clamp down on keyless van thefts

The Crime and Policing Bill has been introduced to Parliament, giving police officers and the courts new powers to target criminals who steal vehicles using electronic devices.

Under the new laws, anyone who is found in possession of one, or to have imported, made, adapted or distributed them, could receive a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and an unlimited fine. Notably, anyone caught with a device will have to prove they were using it for a legitimate purpose in order to avoid prosecution.

Previously, prosecution for handling these devices was only possible if it could be proved by police that they had been used to commit a specific crime.

Keyless van theft – also known as ‘relay attacks’ – works through an electronic device that tricks the key fob signal into thinking the key is near to the car and then allowing the device to assume all key fob power.

According to the 2022 to 2023 Crime Survey, such electronic devices are used by criminals in 40% of vehicle thefts in England and Wales. However, the Metropolitan Police Service estimates that in London, signal jammers are used in around 60% of vehicle thefts. And Tracker has previously reported that 94% of all vehicles that it recovers were stolen without the thief having possession of the keys.

Home Office data shows there were 732,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2024.

Dame Diana Johnson, minister for policing, crime and fire prevention, said: “These new laws will prevent these devices from getting into the hands of thieves and organised crime groups. We will also continue to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, which includes supporting their National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership, which brings together the police and manufacturers to clamp down on vehicle crime.”

Advertisement