Vehicle security by John Gorham
I will start by apologising if you have already been sent information about this, but as its quite an important subject, would not hurt to send it again.
I wish to talk about vehicles with ‘keyless entry’.
This has been prompted by a member of the public who was fully convinced that someone was opening his car when it was on his drive. I am not am expert on this sort of new tech for vehicles by any means and had to do my own investigation before replying to that person.
I had a local chap I know who has a new vehicle with keyless entry do a small experiment for me.
It turned out that if he had the “key” in his pocket, the car could be opened by me when he was 2.5 meters away from it. When I went to see that chap who had the concerns, it turned out that when he went indoors, he put his keys in the inside of the front door lock, which included his “keyless key” the car he had was about 2 meters away, so it unlocked ???. He will now keep the key in his kitchen.
So, my point is, if you stand 2 meters away from your car with keyless entry, maybe talking to someone with your back to the car , then it is possible for someone to open the car door and take what ever is on the seat.
Going on from that, there has been an increase of theft of vehicles equipped with keyless entry and start ( not in this area I hasten to add), and its not only high end vehicles. It is thought that car thieves have a scanner tool that can detect and copy the signal sent out from the key, even if its in your home. There are bags and boxes that can block the signal, they are cheap and available from car parts shops or on line.
Keep well and keep safe.
Police, PCSO, Folkestone and Hythe Community Safety Unit Romney Marsh
Changes to Highway Code rules By Ferenc Zsinko
The Highway Code has been updated and a number of rules have been changed and will come into effect from Saturday 29 January 2022.
These changes will affect all road users and include a number of amendments that give priority to cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.
Although failure to comply with the ‘advisory rules’ of the Highway Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings (under the Road Traffic Act) to establish liability. This includes the rules which use advisory wording such as ‘should/should not’ or ‘do/do not’.
I have attached a link to the .gov website page for further details
The Highway Code, road safety and vehicle rules – GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-highway-code-8-changes-you-need-to-know-from-29-january-2022
Police, PCSO, Folkestone and Hythe Community Safety Unit Romney Marsh
Fraudsters impersonating Police Officers By Ferenc Zsinko
This week there have been several reports of people in the Maidstone and Ashford areas getting calls from fraudsters impersonating London based Police Officers and trying to persuade them to hand over their bank cards.
The fraudsters have been stating that they want them to assist with an investigation as offenders had been arrested in possession of their bank cards. Some of those called were told that someone would be sent to collect their credit card(s) so that these could be safeguarded.
Any calls like this are a SCAM. Police will never call you asking you to hand over your cards or to withdraw cash for them to collect for safe keeping. If you get a call like this, then disconnect the call. If you’re ever unsure if a caller is genuine, remember the principle of ABC and Never Assume or Believe a caller is genuine and confirm by calling them back on a trusted number.
Never ring them on a number that they have provided. Try to use a different phone to the one you have been rung on as fraudsters can remain on the line, even if you think they have been disconnected. If you have no alternative phone to hand, then wait 5 -10 minutes and then ring the number of a family member or friend to confirm the line has been cleared.
If you think that you may have been a victim of this type of scam, then contact your Bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or calling 0300 123 2040.
Please share this message on your social media platforms.
Police, PCSO, Folkestone and Hythe Community Safety Unit Romney Marsh