Vehicle Crime
An overview
The Problem
Vehicle crime accounts for just under a fifth of all recorded crime, with just over a million thefts of and from vehicles recorded during 1999/2000. It costs us over £3 million a year and causes immense distress and inconvenience to its victims. Internationally, we compare badly to other countries. The International Crime Victims Survey, which allows comparisons of victimisation levels in a number of different countries, was conducted in 1988, 1991, 1995 and 2000. For theft of cars, when related to car ownership, England and Wales have topped this table in all four surveys.
Key Facts (1999)
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One in five car owners are "very worried" about having their vehicle stolen and young men in particular worry much more about this than any other crime.
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Thefts of, and from, vehicles are one of the largest categories of crime recorded by the police. In 1999/2000 just over a million thefts of, or from, vehicles was recorded – 19% of all recorded crime.
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Cars, which are 11 years old, are fourteen times more likely to be stolen than those which are new.
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The Prime Minister has set a national target of reducing vehicle crime by 30% over five years. In practice this means that by March 2004 there should be 323,000 fewer car crimes a year than there were in April 1999.
Key Facts (2003)
Thefts of vehicles are down 18% since 1999
Thefts from vehicles are down 24% since 1999
8.2% of households/adults were victims of vehicle crime in 2002/03, compared to 9.9% in 1999
Older cars are still far more likely to be the object of a crime than new cars.
Last update: 17 September 2003