Simple £45 gadget can help protect your car against theft by telling you if someone touches it – and even lets you hear what thieves say
Car theft is on the rise in the UK, but this affordable device could help keep your vehicle protected
A NEW gadget could help protect your motor against theft, and give you a better chance of getting it back if it is stolen.
And the smart device even lets you listen in to what criminals are saying if they are able to break into your vehicle.
The £45 Streetwize GPS Tracker from Halfords can be added to any car, and is able to pinpoint the location of your vehicle to within 10 metres.
More than half of the cars stolen in the UK are never tracked down and returned to their owners - making a GPS device an important piece of equipment as the incidence of vehicle theft rises.
Along with locating a motor's position, Streetwize also acts as a monitoring device.
It will send a notification to your phone if the car is moved or rocked while parked, and lets you know as soon as the vehicle moves more than 200 metres so you can call police immediately.
The tracker uses a voice mode to allow owners to listen to criminals in the car through their phone, potentially overhearing vital information on the vehicle's location or the identity of thieves.
Unlike subscription-charging trackers, Streetwize uses a sim card and will charge drivers the cost of a standard test message when an alert is sent.
Halfords revealed the sale of car tracking technology has risen by 40 per cent in the last month following figures showing a significant rise in vehicle crime.
Last month, British insurers reported a 12 per cent rise in the number of claims for car thefts from 2017 to 2018, as crooks have been taking advantage of keyless entry tech.
And The Sun's recent investigation found vehicles can be stolen in just six seconds using a legal relay device.
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Pavan Sondhi, car security expert at Halfords, said: “Installing a tracker may be one of the most reliable ways of protecting your vehicle.
"With gadgets like this you can now find cars as quickly as thieves steal them. We’ve seen sales of our locators soar in the last few weeks.
"As soon as a thief tampers with your motor you’ll know about it.”