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Truck thieves in Warwickshire have started using jamming devices to disable GPS tracking systems, say police. Detective Constable Andy Round of specialist truck crime unit Truckpol says intelligence suggests the jamming units are circulating among criminals in Warwickshire. Police believe one was used in the hijacking of a vehicle at Hams Hall on 24 September when a trailer with a tracking system was disabled so that a very weak or non-existent tracking signal was given out after the vehicle was  stolen.

Jamming devices are hand-held and can be quite powerful, blocking all mobile phone signals within a 30-metre radius. The distance of the blocking is dependent on the type of device. The police are also concerned that the jamming devices could be used to prevent drivers calling for assistance if they realise they are about to be hijacked, although there have been no reported cases of this.

DC Round adds that police believe Tracker Network systems may be immune from the jamming devices, because they are based on VHF frequencies. A company spokeswoman agrees that the system should be proof against jamming devices.

The use of jamming devices is illegal under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949, although the possession of a device is not in itself an offence. The Office of Communications (Ofcom) says that even theatres, cinemas and concert halls, which have been known to use jammers to restrict mobile phones within their premises, are breaking the law by doing so.