Arrest made following keyless car theft yesterday

A man has been arrested in connection with the keyless theft of a motor vehicle early yesterday morning (17 June).

A Land Rover Discovery was stolen from the driveway of a home in Bishops Itchington at approximately 2.30am. The owner of the vehicle was woken by the sounds of the engine and reported the incident to the police.

Approximately half an hour later, officers from West Midlands identified the vehicle on the M5 and deployed a stinger device operation at junction 1, bringing it to a stop. Following an attempt to flee the scene, a man was arrested.

The driver, a 31-year-old man from Birmingham, was bought to Leamington custody centre. He was arrested for theft of a motor vehicle, driving with excess alcohol, and driving whilst being disqualified.

The man was bailed until 15 July 2021 and detained in custody on a warrant for failure to appear at Birmingham Magistrates court on an earlier charge.

Anyone with information or video footage is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 25 of 17 June or to report it online (www.warwickshirepolice.uk). Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Members of the public are reminded that they can take a few simple measures to protect their vehicles from theft:

• Make sure your car is properly locked and keep keys away from doors and windows. This will reduce the chance of criminals amplifying the signal.
• Some keys have a function allowing them to be turned off. Check your manual to see if yours does and then use it.
• Use some kind of physical barrier such as a steering wheel lock, driveway parking post or a wheel clamp. This will deter many criminals.
• Fit a tracking device.
• Keep your keys in a Faraday bag to block the signal.
• Remove batteries from your spare keys.

Posted by SC, Corporate Communications