10th December 2018
Motor cars fitted with engine immobiliser has by and large become the norm for late model cars in Victoria.
Whether this has led to a reduction in car thefts is a moot point but what we know what it has done. It has increased the frequency of home invasions by perpetrators accessing the car keys.
And now police are calling for the public to hide the keys and not leave then easily visible near door or windows.
The unintended consequences may make this advice counterproductive.
Now the crooks will have to wake up the victims to locate the keys, good one VicPol.
There are a number of commercial tracking devices that owners can fit to their vehicle that can be tracked by their mobile phone to alert Police.
Another top idea, which will lead to an increase in phone theft along with the keys.
The Victoria Police is encouraging an increase of risk to the community not lowering it.
Overseas fingerprint recognition technology was installed in some high end vehicles to protect them. The problem was the thieves used the owners fingers to open and activate the cars. Whether the fingers were still attached to the victim was problematic – the initiative was soon phased out.
The CAA has for a long time proposed a system that will deal with all of these concerns and add substantially to community safety not detract from it.
The G-Tag is waiting; it only needs a genuine commitment from Government and Police to achieve the reality of a safer community not a more dangerous one.