Throughout history, when a nation faces uncertain economic times, crime and violence invariably rise accordingly. Although today in Great Britain we are not facing tremendous hardship, there is no doubt that crime continues unabated, and that it remains an affliction that just won’t go away. Sometimes, this takes the form of armed robbery, where a person on the street is held at gunpoint or knifepoint and anything of value, such as a wallet or cell phone, is taken from them. Other times homes or offices can be broken into, including disabling any available security alarms, and then looted of anything of value, such as computers and peripheral equipment, televisions, jewellery, or just plain cash.
Vehicles are not immune from this plague. Just like other forms of robbery, vehicle theft is on the rise. The good news is that owners can make the car thief’s life easy, hard, or just about impossible, depending on the amount of security that they take in securing their vehicle. The most obvious and blatant mistake is to actually leave the keys in the ignition of the car, even if one walks away for just a few minutes. Even if you take your keys with you but leave even one car door unlocked, it gives the potential thief access to the inside, where they can either steal something of value such as a briefcase, purse, or cell phone — or worse, if they have the privacy and time necessary, can actually access the electric cables that lead to the ignition and hot-wire the car so that it starts and they can drive away.
Police release annual reports on the number of auto thefts, as well as a ranking of the brands and models that are affected by this crime. As one can imagine, many luxury brands, such as Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, and Ferrari are near the top of the list. What is surprising however, is that amongst these exotic and expensive brands, one also finds such common everyday vehicles such as the Volkswagen Golf and the ever-popular BMW 3 series. So in reality, no one is immune from the potential threat of having their car stolen. Cars are also not the only vehicle in a thief’s sights. Motorcycles, especially desirable brand such as Ducati, BMW, and the more exotic models produced by firms such as Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki are also prone to theft.
While paying attention and being careful are often the first line of defence, installing modern car trackers that incorporate GPS navigation signals — hidden from view but allowing the car’s location to be instantly identified — provide the highest level of security and confidence and provide the greatest chance of recovery.
When you decide to get serious about protecting your vehicle, be sure to contact the specialists at GAP Security. They can provide you with expert advice, either by phone or by chatting online, about the several options that they provide, including alarms and car trackers.
