Warning to keyless car owners after spate of thefts in Swindon
Five vehicles have been taken in the space of a week
Wiltshire Police are urging residents with keyless cars to be extra vigilant following a spate of thefts in Swindon.
Five high value vehicles were stolen from the Broome Manor and Coate areas of the town between March 7th and 11th.
Officers have said the thefts have been a problem nationally in recent months, however, there have been few reported in Wiltshire until the past week.
Overnight on March 7th, two vehicles were stolen from the same street - a BMW 540i XDrive and a BMW M4 were stolen from driveways in Broome Manor. A Lexus RX was also stolen from the Broome Manor area during the same time.
On March 11th, a Mercedes Benz was stolen from Broome Manor while another Mercedes was stolen from the Coate area.
People with the vehicles have been given security advice in the wake of thefts, including to ensure their both their main and spare keys are not left in highly visible places.
They are also being asked to consider installing protective devices in the vehicles, including steering wheel locks, gear lever locks or a 'pedal box' which can be wrapped around pedals to prevent them from being accessed.
Customers are also encouraged to speak to their vehicle’s manufacturer about preventative advice including changing the vehicle’s security and convenience settings.
Enquiries in relation to these incidents are ongoing and anyone with information is urged to get in touch by calling 101.