Two men have been charged with trying to steal a vehicle via a computer.

A man who lives in The Comyns in Bushey Heath saw two men acting suspiciously on his doorbell camera in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The resident called police who were dispatched to the area. A vehicle was stopped and two men were detained.

Police recovered equipment that is remotely used to steal vehicles - a method thieves use to break into cars and drive away.

Thieves are commonly using computer equipment to obtain a signal from a car key which is inside a house. If this signal can be obtained, it gives the criminals the opportunity to steal the car.

One way of stopping this is for drivers to put car keys in faraday bags or inside metal containers.

Hertsmere Detective Inspector Michael Macbeth said: "I want to commend the resident for using a faraday bag, which prevents signals being transmitted by the car keys and renders the equipment used by criminals redundant, which undoubtedly prevented their vehicle being stolen.

"He also quickly contacted us, enabling us to arrest two men. Doorbell camera footage was obtained that showed men outside the address with equipment trying to read the signal from the car keys.

"I would urge the use of faraday bags as a storage place for car keys as this simple step is a significant barrier to this type of theft. I would also like to encourage residents to let us know about any suspicious behaviour and consider investing in doorbell cameras or CCTV. All these preventative measures makes it very difficult for criminals to operate."

  • Simnas Marticius, 26, of Gledwood Gardens, Hayes, west London, and Arnas Pugzlys, 21, of Wilmington Gardens, Barking, east London, were arrested and have subsequently been charged for conspiracy to steal motor vehicles in the Bushey area. They were remanded after appearing at Hatfield Remand Court yesterday. They are due to appear at St Albans Crown Court on Monday 24 February.