A member of the public who suspected two men were trying to steal his vehicle using remote computer equipment alerted police during the early hours of Tuesday (January 21) morning.
The resident had seen the men acting suspiciously on his doorbell camera in The Comyns, Bushey Heath.
Police quickly stopped a vehicle and arrested two men – equipment used to remotely steal vehicles was recovered.
Simnas Marticius, age 26, of Gledwood Gardens, Hayes, London and Arnas Pugzlys, age 21, of Wilmington Gardens, Barking in London, were arrested and have subsequently been charged for conspiracy to steal motor vehicles in the Bushey area.
They were remanded after appearing at Hatfield Remand Court yesterday. They are due to appear at St Albans Crown Court on Monday, February 24.
Hertsmere detective inspector Michael Macbeth said: “I want to commend the resident for using a faraday bag, which prevents signals being transmitted by the car keys and renders the equipment used by criminals redundant, which undoubtedly prevented their vehicle being stolen. He also quickly contacted us, enabling us to arrest two men. Doorbell camera footage was obtained that showed men outside the address with equipment trying to read the signal from the car keys.”
Offenders are commonly using computer equipment to read car keys that are inside the owners address.
If they are able to ‘read’ the signal, they then use this to gain access to the vehicle and are able to start it and drive away.
DI Macbeth added: “I would urge the use of faraday bags as a storage place for car keys as this simple step is a significant barrier to this type of theft. I would also like to encourage residents to let us know about any suspicious behaviour and consider investing in doorbell cameras or CCTV. All these preventative measures makes it very difficult for criminals to operate.”
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