Just one in 26 car theft cases closed across England and Wales last year resulted in someone being charged. In 2021, 100,477 offences involving theft of a motor vehicle were closed by police forces across the two nations, the latest Home Office figures show.
But only 3,914 (3.9%) ended with a suspect being charged or summonsed to court. Greater Manchester Police was unable to provide comparable figures for previous years. Excluding that force, the charge rate was still 3.9% last year, down from 5.0% in 2020, 4.7% in 2019 and 8.6% in 2016.
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The figures include the theft or unauthorised taking of a vehicle, and aggravated vehicle taking, which combines unlawfully taking a vehicle with dangerous driving, causing injury or damage to the vehicle or other property.
Responding to the figures, RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: "Car theft is far more than a minor inconvenience to those who lose a valuable asset and the ability to go about their daily business. Whilst insurers might eventually cover the cost of a stolen vehicle, all of us will eventually pay the price through higher premiums.”
He added: “These thieves need to see the police taking this sort of offence seriously or else they will believe that the reward outweighs the risk.” Jack Cousens, spokesman for AA Insurance Services, said the “worrying” drop in the charge rate for vehicle theft reflected understaffed police forces.
He added: “Unless some form of forensic evidence was left behind or good CCTV footage, officers simply don’t have the ability to investigate further. One of the best deterrents of theft is having a strong and visible police presence.” Mr Cousens urged drivers to play their part by parking their car in a garage if possible, and not leaving car keys in easy-to-find places.
He also recommended putting them in a faraday pouch, which is supposed to block an electronic key’s signal to prevent criminals exploiting the technology to get into the vehicle – often referred to as keyless car theft – or using a steering wheel lock. A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said increasing levels of vehicle theft had clear links to organised crime, and that police were putting more resources into tackling it.
He added: “This is not a low-level offence – it is a serious crime which causes distress and upset to victims and we take it very seriously.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Vehicle crime is a complex problem and needs to be taken more seriously, which is why we focused on it in our Beating Crime Plan. The Government is supporting the police to tackle crime, including car crime, by putting 20,000 additional police officers into the areas most affected, investing in proven prevention measures like street lighting, CCTV, Automatic Number Plate Recognition Technology and secure parking."
