Car Thieves Target Techno Gadgets

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Sergeant ALAN ROUGHNEEN of An Garda Siochana Crime Prevention Unit joins Noel McGuinness to discuss crime prevention for vehicles.

They begin by discussing a forthcoming Crimeline programme on RTE in which Alan speaks of the low occurrence of “carjacking” in Ireland but gives advice to people on how to prevent break-ins. His tips include not leaving valuables on show in your vehicle. He also says that signage suggesting that there is CCTV in public areas can be a good deterrent.

It seems that 10% of cars being broken into have been left unlocked by their owners.

There has been a decline in the number of car thefts, partly because of new key technology. This has, however, this has also seen a rise in the “fishing rod” approach to vehicle theft. Sergeant Roughneen tells Noel that some criminals use fishing rods to lift car keys from hall tables via letter boxes.

Where once thieves would target car radios, it is now Sat Nav systems, laptops and other technological devices that are the main attractions.

The sergeant advises people to be particularly vigilant when parking in scenic areas. It is also unwise to leave keys in the car when at petrol stations.

More information on www.garda.ie crime prevention section.

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