BMW owners in the Amstelveen district of Elsrijk are advised by the police to keep a close eye on their expensive cars. In total, ten BMWs have been ‘completely stripped’ in the past two weeks, the police report. The thieves have targeted the dashboards that often contain expensive equipment such as a navigation system and an airbag.
The squatters make their move at night. On Twitter, the police mention the streets where the squatters have struck. “Actually, all squatting has been done in Elsrijk”, the police writes with a list including the Groen van Prinstererlaan, the Morgenstond, the Jan Benninghstraat and the Charlotte Montpensierlaan.
Read more below the map.
Most burglaries take place at night, sometimes several squats a night, the police writes on Facebook. Thanks to previous investigations, the police know that these types of thefts are often carried out on assignment.
The Amstelveen police are calling on BMW owners to be extra vigilant in the coming period. In any case, it is wise for them to park their car in a place where it is clearly visible from home. It is also wise to switch on your alarm, especially if you do not want to stay up all night to watch over your car.
Duped BMW owners are advised to file a report: “Only by receiving and registering the reports do we have a good insight into this problem”, according to the Amstelveen police. In the hope of catching squatters in the act, the police will conduct more frequent surveillance in the near future, not only in Elsrijk, but also in the adjacent Patrimonium.
Tour through neighborhood
It is hoped that the affected BMW owners are well insured, because a new dashboard can cost as little as 20,000 euros. AT! and NH Nieuws rang the bell at several addresses in the streets mentioned above, but found no victims.
Remarkably few neighbors also appear to be aware of the car robbery in their street, such as in the Charlotte Montpensierlaan and Bors van Waverenstraat. In the Jan van Goyenstraat residents are well informed, because the news has been distributed there in the neighborhood app. A resident informed NH Nieuws that not only BMWs have to suffer, but that a Volvo was recently broken into and the dashboard was taken.
“Make sure your car’s software is up to date”
Car squatting is also a growing problem nationwide. The number of car squats in which the car is broken into for car parts or other valuables (eg electronics, jewellery) was more than a third higher in the first half of this year at 17,161 than one year previously.
keyless entry
Advisor André Bouwman of the National Vehicle Crime Information Center is aware of the current wave of burglaries in Amstelveen. “A while ago there was such a burglary wave in a neighborhood in Rotterdam.”
Bouwman explains that nowadays stolen cars are often keyless entry copies, where you do not need a classic key, but a chip card as a key to unlock your car. Especially cars with that system from before 2017 are prone to theft. “On more modern cars, the key stops transmitting the signal if it’s been idle for a while.”
Those who use a system are advised to store the key in a metal casing (such as an aluminum can), as this prevents the signal from being picked up from outside the home.
Finally, Bouwman has another important tip. “Make sure the software of your alarm system is up to date. You can check that at kiwa.com. If the certificates have expired, the insurer may not pay out. I’ve seen tragic cases.”