The West Midlands has one of the highest car theft rates in England. Is your car properly protected?

Car theft in the West Midlands is not random. It is organised.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the West Midlands currently has the second highest vehicle theft rate in England, with 11.1 recorded thefts per 1,000 people. Only London is higher. Birmingham itself consistently features among the UK’s most affected cities, with vehicle crime running at around 161% of the national average, according to figures published in 2025.

What makes this so difficult to deal with is that most modern thefts do not involve broken windows or triggered alarms. Thieves use relay attack devices that pick up your key fob signal from inside your house, trick your car into thinking the key is right there, and drive away in under 60 seconds. No noise. No damage. Just gone.

In 2025, an estimated 60,900 cars were stolen across the UK, based on DVLA data compiled from police forces. That works out at roughly one car stolen every 10 minutes. Organised groups operate specifically across Birmingham and Solihull. Last year, West Midlands Police convicted a gang for stealing more than 40 vehicles in a single operation, coordinating over social media and staking out targets with CCTV.

A relay attack cannot get past a physical immobiliser. When your engine circuit is cut at the relay level, completely separate from your key fob and your car’s computer, there is nothing for a relay device to work with. The car simply will not start.

Sources: ONS Crime Survey for England and Wales (year ending March 2024), DVLA vehicle theft data via MotorEasy (2025), West Midlands Police press release (September 2025), Keytek UK Vehicle Crime Statistics (August 2025)

Your car’s built-in security was not designed for what thieves are doing today.

Car manufacturers design factory immobilisers to stop traditional hot-wiring. They were not built to handle relay attacks. When a relay device amplifies your key fob signal, your car’s security system genuinely believes the key is present. It does exactly what it is supposed to do: it unlocks and starts the engine.

An aftermarket immobiliser adds a completely separate layer of protection that has nothing to do with key signals at all. The engine circuit is physically cut at the relay. The car will not start unless the correct proximity tag is within range, or an authorised command comes through the app. No key signal, no bypass.

LockCar uses relay-based technology, which means there is no connection to your car’s CAN bus network. The CAN bus is the electronic communication system that runs your engine management, dashboard instruments, and driver assistance features. Some competing immobiliser products, including well-known CAN bus systems, have caused ECU errors and diagnostic faults on certain vehicles over time. Our system never touches that network. It works independently at the circuit level, with no risk of interfering with anything else on your car.

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