Weekly Wrap: UK moves to outlaw devices used in keyless car theft

New provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, seek to prevent vehicle theft being carried out using “sophisticated electronic devices”. If enacted, the measure will make it illegal to possess a device that could be used for stealing cars. Penalties proposed include up to five years in prison and unlimited fines.

“We are aware of the real concerns people feel with the use of these electronic devices being so prolific,” said Dame Diana Johnson, Minister for Policing, Crime and Fire Prevention.

Currently, signal jammer devices can only be incriminating if the police have evidence that they have been used to steal a car.

Criminals have been using signal jammers to steal cars for years. This is most often through signal amplifiers and keyless repeaters, some of which are available for under £50 on the widely used retail site Ali Express. A military-grade jammer will set you back more than £22,000. “These devices have no legitimate purpose, apart from assisting in criminal activity,” says Jenny Sims, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime. 

It only takes around two minutes to acquire the signal from inside a property and use it to steal a car. To protect against these devices, people can keep their keys in “Faraday pouches”, switch off the keyless feature or simply not take their keys upstairs – rather quaint-sounding solutions for a very 21st-century crime.

Besides criminalising the purchase of car jammers, the solution could be to build a more robust wireless system for keyless cars. Most traditional key fobs communicate through protocols in the 315 MHz (US) or 433 MHz (EU) bands; some use RFID to exchange a unique code with the car.​

More modern smart keys and digital car keys use Bluetooth Low Energy for low-power, short-range communication or Near Field Communications for close-contact unlocking (tap-to-open). The latter is the most robust technology so far, but then again, it takes away the convenience of opening your car from a few metres away.

The best option may simply be to keep your keys in your pocket.

Here’s what else PolicyTracker covered this week:

• The satellite industry has been pushing for updates to the ITU’s EPFD rules
• Sweden has completed its 1800 MHz auction in one day
• With licences expiring in 2028, Switzerland is proposing a two-step multiband auction
• The Hong Kong regulator has released a new drone licence
• Hybrid navigation systems are gaining attention because they could enhance the reliability of PNT systems in areas where traditional GNSS are vulnerable
• Ahead of the Digital Networks Act, MVNO Europe urged Brussels to keep wholesale access requirements in spectrum licences