The fleet sector needs to do more to deter criminals employing high-tech methods, which have led to a 25% year-on-year increase in car thefts, says FleetCheck.

Awareness of how to prevent high-tech vehicle theft is patchy among fleet operators

Relay theft, key cloning and signal blocking are the main methods used to steal vehicles these days but awareness of how to prevent this is patchy among vehicle operators, according to the fleet management software company.

Peter Golding, managing director, said: “Feedback from our client base indicates that fleets often know thefts are an increasing problem but while some are being very proactive, others are poorly informed about the methods that thieves are now using and how to deter them.”

He’s called for increased acknowledgment that this is becoming a genuine issue and agreement on best practice that can help to stop company cars and vans being stolen.

Golding highlighted that many of the most effective methods of protection against high-tech car theft were relatively simple and inexpensive for fleets to put into effect.

“In the case of relay theft, it can be an issue of putting the key into ‘sleep’ mode, which some models allow, or placing it inside a Faraday wallet to disrupt the signal, something that costs just a few pounds.

“Interestingly, some security experts recommend meeting the high-tech approach of the thieves with pretty low-tech responses. If someone is creeping onto your drive armed with a laptop, then an old-fashioned steering lock stands a good chance of deterring them.”

But FleetCheck said that fleets also needed to brief drivers about the potential for high-tech theft – and explain what is needed from them in terms of protection.

“This is an area of fleet management where driver buy-in is crucial but can be difficult to generate. For company car and van drivers, a car theft can be seen as an inconvenience rather than a major worry and employers need to make it clear that they expect certain measures to be met, such as where vehicles are parked and keys kept, for example.”