Vehicle Crime in the UK

Metropolitan London, West Midlands and West Yorkshire are the worst locations for vehicle crime, with over 27,000 reported incidents combined this year.

• Cumbria is the UK location with the least amount of vehicle crimes
• Ford vehicles are the most coveted by thieves

Despite three national lockdowns during which most vehicles were kept at home with their owners, vehicle crime skyrocketed by a third during 2020¹, and data for 2021 so far indicates that this trend is only set to get worse.

Motor insurance experts Carole Nash and stolen vehicle recovery specialists, Tracker have joined together to analyse recent UK Police vehicle crime data, to discover which regions are under the most threat.

When categorising ‘vehicle crime’, the UK Police reports include theft and criminal damage.

The UK Police data for 2021 indicates that the current top three areas for vehicle crime are London Metropolitan (17,146 incidents of vehicle crime), West Midlands (6,716 incidents of vehicle crime) and West Yorkshire (3,224 incidents of vehicle crime)².

The top locations for vehicle crime in the UK according to the data include:

1. London Metropolitan (17,146)
2. West Midlands (6,716)
3. West Yorkshire (3,224)
4. Avon & Somerset (1,992)
5. Hertfordshire (1,790)
6. Kent (1,778)
7. Sussex (1,586)
8. Lancashire (1,554)
9. Merseyside (1,531)
10. South Wales (1,391)

Conversely, there are certain locations that have a very low rate of vehicle crime. These include North Wales (250 incidents of vehicle crime), Cumbria (167 incidents of vehicle crime), and North Yorkshire (319 incidents of vehicle crime)³.

The lowest 10 locations for vehicle crime in the UK according to the data include:

1. Cumbria (167)
2. North Wales (250)
3. North Yorkshire (319)
4. Durham (374)
5. Wiltshire (391)
6. Norfolk (418)
7. Lincolnshire (452)
8. Gloucestershire (477)
9. Cheshire (479)
10. Northern Ireland (577)

Mark Copper Head of Product, from Carole Nash said: “With vehicle crime at an all-time high, it’s so important for vehicle owners to protect their motors. Owners need to avoid security complacency, which puts themselves and their vehicles at risk.

“We’ve teamed up with Tracker to offer a customer discount on our motorbike annual insurance premium when they invest in the specially developed motorbike tracking and security solution, Tracker Vantage. Tracker has an unrivalled stolen vehicle recovery rate of more than 95%, meaning that our policyholders can benefit from dramatically increasing the chances of their motorbike being recovered, should the worst happen.”

Tony Campbell, CEO from the MCIA said “It is increasingly important to safeguard our vehicles, as motorcycle-related thefts continue to rise across the country. As an industry we encourage Powered Two Wheeler owners to be especially diligent in keeping their vehicles secure, which was highlighted in our “Lock, Chain, Cover” campaign and through our current MCIA Secured scheme. A small percentage of unsecured stolen bikes are not recovered, which is why this collaboration between Carole Nash and Tracker will give many riders’ peace of mind that should their motorcycle get stolen it would be recovered.”

A spokesperson from Tracker said: “We anticipate a significant rise in vehicle theft in 2021 which is why we always advise vehicle owners to make it as difficult as possible for vehicle crime to take place. Tracker products have multiple layers of security that go a long way to provide protection; some of them even send silent signals to Tracker’s Head Quarters and the police, providing the locations of the stolen asset. If you have a motorbike, my top tips for keeping it safe include:

Lock 

A lock plays a crucial role in protecting your motorbike from theft. It’s worth investing in both a disc lock and a grip lock - a disc lock can help to secure the front brake disc and a grip lock can help to keep the brake and throttle controls secure. A D lock on the front wheel will also stop thieves from wheeling the bike away. 

Chain 

A common way that thieves steal motorcycles is by breaking the steering lock and wheeling the vehicle away. By placing a chain lock through the back wheel will deter thieves and secure your bike as an immovable object.

If you don’t have any other heavy or immovable objects to attach your bike to, threading a chain through the frame and back wheel is the next best option. 

Cover 

Although all motorbikes are at risk of theft, certain models are likely to be at even greater risk due to their value. By covering your motorcycle, you’ll deter a thief’s wandering eye, particularly in public spaces.  

Garage park 

When you’re at home the best place to keep your motorbike is in your garage or shed, although this is not a failsafe deterrent (as Jonathan Rea knows). Adding a garage alarm and low-level dusk to dawn lighting can also enhance security.  

Fit an alarm 

Alarms are often overlooked, particularly by new riders. However, alarm systems with tracking, immobilisation, anti-grab and movement sensors will scare off many potential criminals.”

Sources

¹ FOI request: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/phil_swift?utf8=%E2%9C%93&user_query=car+theft&request_latest_status=&commit=Search+contributions+by+this+person

² https://data.police.uk/data/ - utilising data from January, February and March 2021

³ https://data.police.uk/data/ - utilising data from January, February and March 2021

⁴ https://data.police.uk/data/ - utilising data from January, February and March 2021

About Carole Nash 

• Carole Nash is part of the Ardonagh Group, which was ranked as the UK’s 5th biggest insurance broker by Insurance Times magazine in 2019
• Winners of the Industry’s prestigious Insurance Times awards for Marketing Campaign of the Year – B2C 2018  
• Winners of the Personal Lines Broking Innovation of the Year award for 'Bikers Only' at the British Insurance Awards 2016  
• Winners of the Industry’s prestigious Insurance Times awards for Excellence in Motor Broking and Personal Lines Broker of the Year 2015  
• The company employs around 400 staff in the UK and Ireland, and provides insurance for over 300,000 classic, vintage, modern, custom, and off-road motorcycles – equivalent to around 25 per cent of all licenced machines  
• Carole Nash is a trading style of Carole Nash Insurance Consultants Ltd registered in England and Wales No 2600841. Carole Nash Insurance Consultants Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

About Tracker   

Tracker, a wholly owned subsidiary of CalAmp, has been leading the way in the field of vehicle tracking and telematics since 1993. With over a million market-leading security and award-winning fleet management systems fitted to vehicles including passenger cars, motorcycles, HGVs, LCVs and plant and construction equipment, Tracker is still leading the way.

Tracker, together with the police has to date recovered over £561 million worth of stolen vehicles and continues to recover on average £1 million worth of stolen vehicles each month. With over a million systems installed to date, its award-winning products ensure its customers have complete peace of mind. For more information, visit www.tracker.co.uk or LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tracker Insights.