ISSUE

SOME INFORMATION SOURCES

1. Do we have a vehicle crime problem?

 What are the numbers and rates of:

• Theft of motor vehicles

• Theft from motor vehicles

The bulk of offences will relate to theft of and from vehicles and these offences contribute to the Prime Minister's target.  In addition, partners may also wish to look at:

• Vehicle interference
• Criminal damage to motor vehicles
• Vehicle arson

How do crime rates compare with other areas (locally and nationally)?

What trends can be detected?

• Police (data / analysis of recorded crimes)

• Recorded crime figures at Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership level

• Car park managers /operators

• Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators

• Motoring organisations

• Community surveys/ consultations (Information on unrecorded and non-reported crimes.)

• Commercial data houses (data on the local vehicle parc to calculate risks.)

• DVLA (Information on requests to re-register vehicles deemed to be insurance write-offs; Requests for registration documents for vehicles recorded as having another current keeper.)

• Insurance companies (Data from claims.)

• Fire service (information regarding burnt out vehicles)

2. What is the nature of the vehicle crime problem?

Is it predominantly thefts of or thefts from vehicles or both?

NB.  It is important not only to look at high absolute numbers but also high risk (this can be calculated using local vehicle parc data).

If thefts from vehicles:

What items tend to be stolen? 

From what types of vehicles are items stolen? 

Are there particular makes and models at risk? 

If thefts of vehicles:

What types of vehicles are being stolen? (Thefts of older, familiar models may point to opportunist crime. Thefts of higher value, luxury cars, specialist vehicles, or makes where second hand spares are in short supply may point to work by professionals.)

What makes and models are stolen in high numbers and are at high risk of theft?

What age is most at risk?

What proportion of stolen vehicles are recovered?  (Low recovery rates may point to a high proportion of thefts by professional thieves)

Can patterns be detected in when and where stolen vehicles are recovered?  (Common recovery sites may point to local suspects or suggest a targeted police operation.)

What condition are vehicles in when recovered? (The type of damage may give clues to whether the theft was the work of professionals.)

• Ignition damage

• Damaged

• Burnt out

• Accident damaged

• Stripped

• False plates 

• Police (data / analysis of recorded crimes)

• Recorded crime figures at Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership level

• Car park managers /operators

• Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators

• Motoring organisations

• Community surveys/ consultations (Information on unrecorded and non-reported crimes.)

• Commercial data houses (data on the local vehicle parc to calculate risks.)

• DVLA (Information on requests to re-register vehicles deemed to be insurance write-offs; Requests for registration documents for vehicles recorded as having another current keeper.)

• Insurance companies (Data from claims.)

• Fire service (information regarding burnt out vehicles)

3. Where is vehicle crime occurring? 

Are there particular hotspots (wards or streets)?

Are there particular types of location?

• On the street

• Car parks

• Outside owner’s home

Do locations share common physical features?  E.g. ease of access/egress, poor lighting, lack of natural surveillance

• Police (data /analysis of recorded crimes)

• Recorded crime figures at Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership level

• NW co-ordinators

• Motoring organisations

• Community surveys/ consultations (Information on unrecorded and unreported crimes)

• Car park managers /operators (Information on unrecorded crimes plus data on car park usage to calculate risks.)

• Insurance contacts (risk assessments for different areas.)

• Large employers with fleet operations

4. When is it occurring?

Is the risk of vehicle crime higher at certain times of the:

• Day

• Week

• Year?

What trends can be detected?

Are particular makes/models/ages/items stolen more at risk at different times?

• Police (data /analysis of recorded crimes)

•  Car park managers/operators

•  Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators

•  Motoring organisations

•  Community surveys/ consultations (Information on unrecorded and unreported crimes)

5. How often?

Are there spates of crime in particular locations?

• Police (data /analysis of recorded crimes)

• Car park managers/operators

• NW co-ordinators

• Motoring organisations

• Community consultations (Information on unrecorded crimes)

6. What is the impact?

What concerns the public most?

What is the impact on victims?

What is the value of items / vehicles stolen?

Are local services (shops, community facilities etc) affected by reduced or poor level levels of public attendance due to crime levels/ fear of crime?

• Community consultations (Focus groups / surveys etc)

• Police (data/analysis of recorded crimes)

• Victim Support

• Reparation schemes (feedback from victims)

• General practitioners/ health authority/ hospitals (e.g. feedback on stress-related illness)

• Local insurance contacts (Data on claims)

• Car park managers/operators (Data on usage to ascertain impact of crime on driver behaviour.)

7. Who is the target?

• Police (data /analysis of recorded crimes)

• Insurance companies

• Fleet operators

8. How are they being stolen?

Do crimes tend to be committed in a certain way? (May give clues to the number /sophistication of offenders involved)

What security features did the vehicle possess?

How did they get into the vehicle? (e.g. did they break a window – if so which, were keys used etc.)

• Police (data /analysis of recorded crimes)

• Insurance companies

• Fleet operators

9. Are repeats occurring?

Are these victim or location focussed?

• Police (data / analysis of recorded crimes)

• Insurance companies

• Fleet operators