[WorksAsIntended]

At least all modells currently available in new condition in europe I know have electronical locks anyway. There is absolutly no difference in what happens to the locks if you put the key inside the lock or if you use the button. Just another trigger to the same process.

[Benz3ne]

An unfortunate story but a prevalent scenario. There's been a spate of Ford thefts where I live in models that feature the keyless entry. Signal is disrupted or cloned and the car is subsequently open and able to be started. I've around 6/7 friends who have been caught out by this, seen numerous posts above that on the same and one was stolen from a family two doors down from me.

That being said, it's sometimes difficult to not leave valuables in the car. My previous car had a cloth roof so it was safer for me to leave it unlocked so 'they' could try the doors and not knife the roof, should anyone want a root around in there. That didn't stop some eejit from kicking off the wing mirror one night though... boot mark on the door where they missed first time and all...

Well done also for seeing the bigger picture, it's difficult to overlook good health especially having served a high-risk job for many years.

[dipo 1]

nitehnter, I am very sorry for your loss, however I really appreciate your 30 years as a police officer ' YOUR THE BEST!'

[rogerstg]

This thread has prompted me to buy RFID pouches to be used when I leave valuables in my vehicles.

[Wasp]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

I don't know the details of how they got into your car but I can pass on what criminals do in ZA. Nothing as sophisticated as cloning your remote signal is needed. That is pretty hard to do with modern cars anyway - you need some serious hardware and skills to match.

To gain access to valuables in a car, you only need to jam the signal from the key fob to the car. Something as simple as a garage door opener will do that. A lot of folks just press the button and walk without checking that the car actually locked. The car can't be driven but all the nice stuff inside is up for grabs.