New York Police offer free Apple AirTags to crack down on car theft

Apple AirTags, tiny coin-sized tracking devices that use wireless technology to locate personal belongings, have been endorsed by the New York Police Department as an anti-theft measure for cars.

As part of a program announced by New York Mayor, Eric Adams, 500 free Apple AirTags will be made available to local residents to help track their vehicle if it is stolen.

In a post shared on social media platform Twitter, the NYPD announced it will continue to use traditional recovery techniques, but Apple AirTags hidden inside a car could lead to faster and safer recovery of stolen motor vehicles.

The initiative follows the ‘Kia Challenge’ shared on social media platform, TikTok, which showed how the security systems of some US-market Kia and Hyundai vehicles could be easily bypassed. The affected brands have since rolled out free security system upgrades in response to the scandal.

The NYPD released data that showed vehicle thefts had reached their highest number since 2006, with last year's stolen-car figures for New York State up by 23 per cent compared to 2021, while New York City saw a 34 per cent increase.

The NYPD Twitter video claims residents can "safeguard your car by simply putting an Apple AirTag inside of it”.

Apple’s AirTags have not been without controversy since their introduction, with reports of the coin-sized tracking devices used by stalkers and criminals to secretly track the movements of targeted individuals and cars.

Subsequent software updates now warn Apple users if there is an unknown or unidentified AirTag in their proximity, along with the tag itself sounding a chime when separated from its owner.

Although the tracking features of AirTags aren’t compatible with Android phones, the NYPD video urges vehicle owners to lock vehicles, remove the keys, park in well-lit areas, and other conventional security measures, and to “buy an AirTag or any traceable device”.

The free Apple AirTag program is due to be rolled out to residents in New York’s 43rd Precinct police district, which has been one of the hardest hit by the increase in vehicle thefts.