Thousands Of Cars Stolen Using Hi-Tech Gadgets

A Sky News investigation finds that almost half the 89,000 vehicles broken into in London last year were hacked electronically.

Tens of thousands of cars are being stolen or broken into every year by thieves using electronic hacking equipment, a Sky News investigation has found.

Last year half of all car thefts and vehicle break-ins in London alone were carried out without the use of force, according to the Metropolitan Police.

Instead criminals are believed to have used hi-tech devices originally designed for locksmiths to gain access to vehicles.

Commonly, the thieves use easily obtainable equipment that can intercept the signals from key fobs to get into cars or that plug into a car's on-board computers remotely.

Modern cars contain about 50 low-powered computers which criminals have learnt to take advantage of to steal vehicles in as little as 10 seconds without causing any damage.

Sky News has established that the devices can be bought cheaply online, from websites based mainly in Bulgaria. Video tutorials posted online can teach criminals how to gain access to popular models.

One of the sophisticated car-hacking devices