Eleven arrested over £500,000 keyless car thefts

Eleven people have been arrested by police in a major operation into the thefts of about 40 keyless cars worth an estimated £500,000.

A suspected organised crime gang operating across the south of England were thought to have stolen the vehicles, which allow drivers to unlock the doors without pressing a key fob, between April and December in 2024.

It is believed the cars were exported overseas.

Seven men from Bournemouth, aged between 19 and 38, a 32-year-old Bournemouth woman, a 25-year-old Portsmouth man, a 37-year-old Romford man and a 41-year-old man from Weston-Super-Mare have all been arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft offences.

They have all either been bailed or released pending further inquiries.

Dorset Police's Serious Organised Crime Investigation Team (SOCIT) started an investigation after receiving several reports of large-scale car thefts across the region.

Police have urged people with keyless cars to take extra precautions to keep their vehicles safe.

Thieves can capture car key signals within a few metres of the keys, even if they are kept inside the house, police said.

The advice from officers includes keeping both car keys and spare keys well away from the vehicle, putting keys in a signal-blocking pouch and turning off wireless signals on the fob when it is not in use.

Police added the signal-blocking pouches, such as a Faraday bag, should be checked every few months to ensure it still works, and to reprogram keys if purchasing a second-hand car.