Tuesday 23rd August 2005

Thieves target satnavs

Crime wave is underway, say police

---

Take it with you

Don't leave your portable satnav in the car -- because according to Auto Express, there's mini-crime wave underway. With many devices left in full view, thieves are nicking them simply by breaking a car's side window.

West Yorks police said that 135 had been stolen from cars between April and July this year. "Thieves are targeting them because they're so expensive to buy and simple to remove," DC Russ Conlon told the magazine.

The other reason they're easy to steal is that, unlike audio equipment, they don't carry security codes, and are simply suckered to the windscreen or slide out of a mount on the dash. Conlon warned against leaving your satnav unit in the glovebox too, as it's the first place thieves look.

The problem has also reached such proportions in Northumbria that the chief constable has set up a specialist unit to tackle the problem.

Police said that drivers who find their sat-nav unit has been stolen should ring the manufacturer or software supplier to get the signal cancelled, making it useless to the thief.

It's a sad indictment...

[joust]

[quote=Some daft police person]Police said that drivers who find their sat-nav unit has been stolen should ring the manufacturer or software supplier to get the signal cancelled, making it useless to the thief.[/quote]There is absolutly no way to "disable" a TomTom, SmartNav or any other device.

Shush :rolleyes:

J