Two men charged in £500k keyless car thefts probe

Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with the keyless thefts of high value vehicles worth more than half a million pounds.

Police said a man, 29, from Northamptonshire and 36-year-old from Barking, London, were taken into custody after dozens of vehicles were taken across Hertfordshire between October and December.

Hertfordshire Police said it was part of a "long running investigation into organised thefts" that had been "prevalent" in the county for years.

The men were charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles.

Ch Insp Martin Turpin said: "Vehicle theft, particularly of high value keyless models, has been a prevalent crime across the county in recent years.

"This type of crime is often linked to organised crime groups and using specialist equipment thieves can steal a vehicle in seconds.

"We are targeting these gangs, working with our partners in neighbouring forces and using ANPR technology to track criminals using the road networks making Hertfordshire a hostile environment for them to operate in."

He advised motorists to use approved steering wheel locks and key fob signal blocking pouches when vehicles were not being used.

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