POLICE have warned people to take more care about where they leave their car keys at home – following the theft of a vehicle in Wellington.

A car was stolen from a driveway in Mitchell Street in late July where the thieves used a piece of modern technology which means they can steal cars without a key.

Sgt Jon O’Connor, of Wellington police, said in a report: “The vehicle was stolen overnight without keys, which strongly suggests to me the use of a relay mechanism that amplifies and then mimics the signal from the key fob stored within the home.

“Theft of cars and vans is increasingly rare due to improved security features, meaning that thieves either need to break into a property to retrieve the keys or use technology like this.”

Sgt O’Connor, speaking at Wellington Town Council’s monthly meeting on August 3, said the “sophisticated bit of technology” was used by organised crime gangs and was not “readily available.”

“But that is the lengths some criminals will go to steal cars especially the higher-end vehicles,” he said.

Sgt O’Connor, in his report, said: “Given the sophistication and cost of such systems, this lends itself more to organised crime and the offenders likely having travelled a significant distance to steal the vehicle to order.

“ANPR and CCTV enquiries are ongoing with this investigation, but this is another opportunity to remind owners with keyless entry to ensure their fobs are stored well away from front doors and windows and ideally kept in a signal-blocking pouch.”

Sgt O’Connor said the pouches were widely available and cost between £5 and £10.

He reminded people that Wellington Police Station is from 10am to 2pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and officers can be contacted via the Avon & Somerset Police website or by calling 101.