Facts and Figures: British Crime Survey
The police figures represent only those offences recorded by the
police. Not all offences are reported to the police and not all
reported offences are recorded. That is why, for vehicle crime as
well as the other areas of crime, the Home Office conducts the
British Crime Survey (BCS). The BCS measures the amount of crime in
England and Wales by asking people about crimes they have
experienced in the previous year. The BCS includes crimes which are
not reported to the police.
| |
Total number of crimes committed |
Number of vehicle-related thefts |
Vehicle-related thefts as a % of the total
number of offences |
| 1997 |
16,500,000 |
3,483,000 |
21% |
| 1999 |
14,700,000 |
2,954,000 |
20% |
| 2000 |
12,899,000 |
2,619,000 |
20% |
Source: British
Crime Surveys
| |
Attempted
thefts |
Thefts
of vehicles |
Thefts
from vehicles |
| 1981 |
73% |
16% |
10% |
| 1993 |
59% |
13% |
28% |
| 1995 |
58% |
12% |
20% |
| 1997 |
62% |
11% |
27% |
| 1999 |
62% |
11% |
27% |
| 2000 |
25% |
13% |
62% |
Source: British
Crime Surveys
Summary of findings from the 2001British
Crime Survey (BCS) on vehicle-related thefts :
- Between 1997 and 1999, vehicle-related thefts fell by 15%,
from 3,461,000 to 2,956,000. All categories of vehicle-related
theft fell during this period, with thefts from vehicles falling
the most (-16%). The rate of decline was a little more gradual
than between 1995 and 1997 for attempts and thefts of vehicles.
The figures from the 2001 BCS show that there was a further 11%
reduction in the number of vehicl-related thefts between 1999
and 2000.
- Attempted thefts accounted for 25% of all
vehicle-related thefts in 2000, whereas in 1981 they were a much
smaller proportion (10%). This may indicate that cars are
becoming appreciable more difficult to get into.
Levels of vehicle security have improved sharply since 1992.
Overall, 10.9% of vehicle owners experienced at least one
vehicle-related theft. Particularly at risk were younger
households and those where the head of the household was employed. Those in areas
with high physical disorder were also at high risk.
The risk of being the victim of vehicle-related theft is lower
in rural areas (6.9%). Since 1995, the risk has declined more than
in non-rural areas.
The 2001
BCS estimates that there were 12,899,000 crimes against adults
in 2000, of which 2,619,000 were vehicle-related thefts (20%).
The
2001
BCS
also provides information on the proportion of reported BCS crimes
estimated to have been recorded by the police:
|
Theft of vehicle
|
78%
|
|
Theft from a vehicle
|
63%
|
|
Attempted vehicle thefts
|
100%
|
|
