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Car thefts are soaring
06 May 2024
Car thefts in the UK have reached the highest level in the past decade, rising more than 50 per cent from the year March 2012 to March 2023.
Figures published on data.police.uk, a platform for open data on crime and policing, show that police forces throughout the country failed to catch the perpetrator of any car thefts in more than 100 neighbourhoods across England and Wales last year alone.
Analysis of the figures by The Observer found that 558 neighbourhoods which had an average of at least one vehicle crime per week saw less than two per cent resolved.
In 2023, approximately 336,000 vehicle crimes such as thefts and break-ins across England and Wales were closed with no suspect identified. This equates to around 85 per cent of all vehicle offences recorded over the year. In some cases, police forces closed investigations in less than 24 hours.
These figures exclude Greater Manchester and Devon & Cornwall forces because of police information technology problems.
It was recently revealed that the car industry was warned more than a decade ago that keyless vehicles risked a surge in thefts. Despite this, keyless cars remain the most targeted vehicle type.
‘Relay attacks’ are a common method used to steal keyless vehicles. They involve a small device which is used to amplify the signal of a key fob within the vehicle owner’s home. This signal is then used to gain entry to the car and start it. The process can take less than a minute.
President of the UK branch of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators Mike Briggs said police did not have the resources to investigate and detect the current level of vehicle crime. He said, “The thieves now have the technology to beat the security systems and the police are on the back foot.”
Interestingly, Mike Briggs noted that EU laws require vehicle software systems to be ‘readily accessible’. He commented, “It is like building a fortress and giving away the front door key.” Briggs also said that police needed better training to detect the sophisticated technology often used in car crime.
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