Car thefts are soaring with 300 cases every day – but just 0.6% end with a conviction

by


At least 300 cars are stolen in Britain every day – but only 0.6 per cent of the thefts result in convictions.

Police said 106,291 vehicles were taken last year, a rise of 50 per cent in six years, according to the Office of National Statistics.

But the Ministry of Justice said only 666 offenders were found guilty, of which 243 were jailed.

This means 99.4 per cent of car thieves escape justice – and of the small number sent to prison, most were out within nine months.

Car thieves steal a £39,000 Mercedes from a driveway in Dudley, West Midlands, in under a minute without using a key

But because the theft figures, which were compiled by the AA, cover only police forces in England and Wales – and don’t include Greater Manchester Police – the true total is likely to be far higher than 106,291.

It marks a sharp increase on 2014 when car thefts hit a low of 70,063.

Insurers paid out a record £413million in claims for stolen cars last year – up from £376million in 2018.

The crime has been fuelled by a rise in keyless thefts in which crooks use hi-tech devices to unlock vehicles without breaking the locks or windows.

£39,000 Mercedes gone in 60 seconds 

The owner of this Mercedes GLC could have been forgiven for thinking that the hi-tech £39,000 car might be difficult to steal.

But CCTV footage shows how it was taken from outside a house in less than a minute – without the key.

Brazen thieves were filmed in February using a relay to steal the luxury car from outside a home in Dudley, West Midlands.

Video of the theft – which was shared online by a furious family member – showed how the trio took the vehicle at around 4am.

The clip shows a man wearing a hoodie and scarf pulled over his face creeping around the car before two others appear.

All three duck down and two make their way to the back of the vehicle.

One holds up a device towards the CCTV camera – thought to be a gadget to relay signals from the car key inside the house to the car, thereby unlocking it.

Following this, the other two thieves appear to be able to get into the Mercedes. 

Security experts say motorists should store their car keys and fobs away from house doors if they want to avoid falling victim to the scam.

 

Police chiefs blamed car manufacturers for ‘doing virtually nothing’ to stop keyless theft, but admitted that the decline in traffic police meant offenders were less likely to be caught.

Many forces have also begun to treat car theft as a lower priority offence.The news comes a week after a report by Sir Tom Winsor, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, said the public may need to ‘tolerate’ crimes such as car theft going unsolved unless they were prepared to give the police more funding through their council tax.

It has also emerged that a Government taskforce set up last year to tackle the issue has done little.

Many modern cars don’t need to be physically unlocked when the owner wants to open the door – the proximity of the hi-tech key fob in the driver’s pocket is enough to gain access.

To steal such a vehicle, one thief stands beside it with a transmitter while another moves a small amplifier around the perimeter of the owner’s house until it detects a signal from the car key fob inside.

The amplifier then relays the signal to the transmitter, which effectively becomes the key by passing it on to the car’s security system, tricking it into thinking the real key is nearby.

This so-called relay theft can take just 60 seconds.

Luxury vehicles are usually stolen to order and shipped abroad or dismantled in illegal backstreet ‘chop shops’ before the parts are sold on.

While thieves may earn just £1,500 per vehicle, it remains a lucrative crime, and West Midlands Police shut down around 100 chop shops last year.

David Jamieson, West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, said: ‘It is a total disgrace that manufacturers allow their sophisticated, hi-tech vehicles to be stolen by 17-year-old kids within 40 seconds.

‘Some manufacturers have started to take responsibility – but for years they have been doing virtually nothing on keyless theft.

‘They always seem to be about three phases behind the criminals because the keyless access technology is developing so quickly.

‘It has become a multi-billion-pound business. The problem is, we have lost a quarter of police officers in ten years and have started to prioritise other crimes. In some areas, roads policing is almost non-existent.’

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: ‘If your car is stolen it is highly unlikely that the thief will be brought to justice.

‘Old tactics such as “smash and grab” have changed as thieves adapt to changes in car technology. Where possible, people should park their car in a garage or in a well-lit and secure location with CCTV.’

It comes days after Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured meeting new recruits during a visit to Sussex Police Headquarters in Lewes on Monday) told chief constables to prosecute more shoplifters over concerns that the offence had become virtually decriminalised

It comes days after Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured meeting new recruits during a visit to Sussex Police Headquarters in Lewes on Monday) told chief constables to prosecute more shoplifters over concerns that the offence had become virtually decriminalised

Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, head of vehicle crime on the National Police Chiefs Council, said: ‘The increase in vehicle theft is clearly linked to organised crime and police are putting more resources into tackling it.

‘This is not a low-level offence – it is a serious crime which causes distress to victims and we do take it seriously.

‘The rapid development of technology has dramatically improved the experience of drivers, but it has also allowed criminals to exploit weaknesses in electronic security.’

It comes days after Home Secretary Priti Patel told chief constables to prosecute more shoplifters over concerns that the offence had become virtually decriminalised.