'Make your vehicle less attractive to criminals': Clare gardaí issue advice to prevent car theft
Clare gardaí issue advice and outline common methods used by car thieves
The majority of reported vehicle thefts in Clare last year took place between 6pm and 4am, according to gardaí.
Clare gardaí have issued advice to car owners to prevent theft, and outlined some of the methods used by car thieves.
If you have a vehicle without an immobiliser, you should consider having one retro fitted," Sergeant Catriona Holohan, Crime Prevention Officer at Ennis garda station.
"Since 1998, immobilisers have been installed in all new vehicles for sale in the EU. Immobilisers work by restricting an essential component part of the engine unless the correct key is used to start the vehicle. They are very effective in reducing vehicle theft.
"Many immobilisers now work in conjunction with an alarm. Therefore, if an attempted theft is made to your vehicle it will not start and the alarm will sound.
Various other security devices are also available that you can consider installing to protect your vehicle, Sergeant Holohan continued.
Steering wheel locks work by simply locking onto the steering wheel preventing the steering wheel from turning. They also act as a visual deterrent as most are yellow in colour and are clearly visible from outside the vehicle.
External wheel lock or clamps can also be fitted onto the wheel of the vehicle along with handbrake locks, gear stick locks and pedal locks which often have an additional alarm function.
"All these items act as a deterrent and can make your vehicle less attractive to criminals".
Many modern vehicles utilise a keyless entry system which work by sending a signal between the key and the vehicle.
Relay signal theft can occur when the signal of the key is mimicked and used to gain entry to a vehicle.
In order to prevent the key signal transmitting while away from the vehicle, the key can be placed in a Faraday bag or box or even a biscuit tin for storage. By doing so, these items restrict the radio signal from being emitted from the key and reduce the risk of it being copied.
"In order to mitigate against the risk of theft from your vehicle always lock and double check the security of the doors and windows," Sergeant Holohan also said. "You should remove all valuable items from your vehicle".
"However, if you must store valuable items in the vehicle consideration should be given to enhancing the locking systems and installing a GPS tracker".
In addition, a sensor linked to your house alarm can be fitted to the vehicle and activate when you are at home.
Consideration could also be given to fitting a secure locked storage chest or cage vault within vans.
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