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1 hour ago Angharad Thomas BBC Wales Getty Images Gwent Police said inquiries are ongoing and patrols have increased in the Caerphilly county area Car thieves stole 11 Nissan Jukes over a 24-hour period in one county, police said. The crime wave hit Caerphilly county last Thursday and Friday, with security expert Michael Fraser saying the vehicles were frequently targeted because they have "valuable spare parts" and were "relatively easy to steal". On Wednesday, Gwent Police confirmed all 11 Nissan Jukes had been recovered, along with a Kia Niro and a Nissan Navara that were also reported stolen.
No arrests have yet been made. Claire, 49, from the Caerphilly county, said her 2016 keyless Nissan Juke N-Connecta was stolen from outside her home during the early hours of 25 September. At 06:45 BST her husband left for work and noticed her car wasn't at the side of their home.
"He came up to me and said 'your car's gone'," the health care assistant said. "I popped my head out of the back window which overlooks where I was parked and yeah, it was gone." Despite being a light sleeper, she did not hear anything during the night and said the thieves appeared to be "very quiet". 'It was two minutes away from where I live' Her car was found two days later - about two minutes from her home - after a local resident recognised it from her Facebook appeal and contacted her. She said it was a relief now that her car had been recovered, and seemingly fine, but it is currently with a forensics team.
Claire added: "It's just inconvenient because obviously you can't just pop in your car and go somewhere now, you've got to rely on people and I hate doing that because I'm quite independent." In future, she plans to keep her keys in a safe place and get them re-coded. iStock / Getty Images A total of 13 vehicles were reported stolen from Caerphilly county borough and have since all been recovered Fraser, an ex-burglar turned security expert, said many of the 2010 to 2019 Nissan Juke models used keyless-entry and thieves can use signal-relay devices to steal them from outside owners' homes. "A lot of us do keep the keys near to the front door. We're creatures of habit," he said.
He urged drivers to keep their keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door, as the signal is "easy to pick up", including through glass. He said the method involved criminals using electronic equipment to capture the signal from a car key kept inside a house, which allows them to unlock and start the vehicle. How can I stop my keyless cars being stolen?
Fraser said one way to make a vehicle harder to steal was driving it on to a driveway rather than reversing on to it. "Most people reverse on to the drive. That car is ready to be stolen.
If you drive on to the drive they've obviously got to reverse first then go forward and it takes a little bit more time," he said. He also suggested parking with wheels turned into the gutter rather than left straight if parking on the street, as this also makes a vehicle harder for thieves to move. Fraser also recommended using security devices such as steering locks, also known as "crook locks".
"If you look at the Nissan Juke, that car is very high value on spare parts. So people tend to pinch them, strip them of parts, and then sell them on," he added. Motoring journalist Claire Evans said newer models of the Nissan Jukes were "less likely" to be stolen via relay units as they have "keyfobs that stop emitting these codes once they've not moved, or been used for two minute".
Evans said the older model could be a target as it is a small SUV, which is the most popular car class. "Selling them on would be easy, and they're economical cars that are affordable to run, so they have lots of appeal," she said. She added drivers can also keep their keys in a metal container, such as a biscuit tin, or even the microwave at home.
"Just as long as they're somewhere that stops the code from being copied," she said. Gwent Police said officers are trying to identify those responsible for these thefts. Inspector Richard Tovey said: "We will continue with our patrols across the borough following these reports, so if you have any concerns or questions then please take the time to speak to our officers.
The force has appealed for anyone with information to get in touch. Nissan has been approached for comment. More top stories
Source: BBC
