A study has proven that a significant number of stolen cars are not even investigated by local police authorities.

• Study estimates 700,000 vehicle thefts, taking without consent and car key burglary between 2009-2014, with average recovery rate of 49.6%
• Thefts of up to £229m worth of vehicles classed as civil crime
• Data from 43 UK police forces reveals recording of vehicle theft data is a shambles – cuts could be to blame

The theft of as many as 30,000 vehicle thefts a year, worth £229 million, are not even investigated by police according to new research.

Data from 43 of 45 UK police forces* from the last six years shows that, of the estimated 117,000 cars a year stolen in the UK, 59,000 are lost entirely and half of these are deemed not worthy of police investigation potentially because of swinging cuts to police budgets.**

The pictures below are for illustrative purposes only and should not be inferred or assumed that these cars are more, or less prone to be stolen - if you have any concerns please feel free to contact your local police authority for further information on cars

that are stolen within your region.

The hardest hit are businesses, because police often classify the taking of fleet or courtesy cars a ‘civil crime’ and will not automatically open a case if a car is thought to have gone missing.

Last year, an HMIC Report revealed that, on average, a quarter of vehicle theft-related crimes in 2013 were not attended to by police.**

The new research, by Accident Exchange and its motor fraud investigation team, APU, found that an estimated 700,000 theft-related car crimes took place between 2009 and 2014.

And, based on BCA’s average used car value, APU estimates a total monetary loss of £450m*** for all vehicles not recovered and of this £229m*** for those that were not investigated at all.

Neil Thomas, APU’s Director of Investigative Services, said: “If a vehicle owned by a business rather than an individual – such as a fleet vehicle or garage courtesy car – goes missing, frequently the police tend to consider it a civil crime because the business has effectively allowed someone the use of that car.

“Increasing pressure on police forces in the form of budget cuts and overstretched resources means not enough time can be dedicated to the investigation and retrieval of stolen vehicles.

“But it isn’t just companies that are affected by the findings of our study – a proportion of those thefts not looked into will be private car owners too.”

“The monetary value of the lost vehicles can only be described as the tip of the iceberg, as many recovered vehicles are found damaged or burnt out and subsequently written off. In reality, the loss figure is likely to be higher still.

APU submitted Freedom of Information requests to all 44 police forces in the UK but found that part of the problem is that the way vehicle theft data is compiled is entirely arbitrary, with each force recording different information in different formats.

Mr Thomas continued: “This is further evidence that we need Police, insurance firms, law enforcement agencies and private companies to join the dots and collaborate if we are going to truly take the fight to car thieves.”

APU is a bespoke, anti-fraud unit which specialises in motor fraud and works with police forces across the UK as well as international crime-fighting organisations, including the NCA and NaVCIS. Stolen vehicle recovery and false insurance claim prevention undertaken by APU has also been solely responsible for saving approximately £350,000 in the past 12 months. 

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* The study requested data from 45 UK police forces covering the period 01/01/2009-31/12/2014. Of the 45, 43 provided some vehicle theft-related data and in one case some data was sourced from a previous FOI request. A further 12 were able to distinguish whether cars were owned by businesses or individuals and 22 forces supplied data on vehicle recovery.  

**Average attendance figure published in by HMIC report ‘An inspection into crime prevention, police attendance and the use of police time’, September 2014, p.83

***Average value of a used vehicle was £7,622 in 2014 according to figures published by BCA in January 2015

£450m figure based on 59,000 vehicles not recovered each year, multiplied by £7622.

£229m figure based on half of 59,000 vehicles not recovered and not investigated each year, multiplied by £7622