Tracker announces that the Defender from Land Rover has seen a 75% increase in thefts since production ceased.

• TRACKER joins NFU Mutual in urging owners to boost their vehicle security
• www.tracker.co.uk

Shocking new statistics from NFU Mutual, reveal that thefts of Land Rover Defenders have increased by a staggering 75%, as gangs of thieves target rural areas to swipe vehicles.   The Defender ceased production in January, which has led to a significant rise in demand for the car and its parts.  

Backing NFU Mutual’s campaign to warn Land Rover owners to be vigilant, TRACKER, the UK’s leading stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) provider, adds that many of these stolen vehicles are being shipped overseas, and urges owners to fit a tracking device before they disappear for good, as recommended by NFU Mutual. 

Police forces across the UK are reporting a rise in thefts, with many fearing that criminal gangs with links to the US and Eastern Europe are targeting owners.   

Land Rover Defender owners are being advised to improve their security by investing several layers of protection, including trackers, alarms and steering-wheel locks.  NFU Mutual is also advising owners to mark components with paint and to keep vehicles locked up or parked in well-lit areas.  

Following this advice will substantially increase the chances of these classic 4x4s being located and recovered.

Adrian Davenport, Police Liaison Manager for TRACKER, part of the Tantalum Corporation, says, “Criminal gangs often target particular vehicles when demand increases and the Land Rover Defender is a popular vehicle all around the globe. 

Not surprisingly, since they’ve been discontinued, the Defender has risen to the top of the car thief’s hit list, with the northeast, southwest and the midlands reported to be where the highest number of insurance claims are being made.

“Owners of Defenders tend to live in rural areas, so well-lit parking isn’t always possible, making it vital that people ensure they take ample security measures.  

A tracking device won’t stop a car being stolen, but it can significantly increase the chance of police locating and returning a vehicle to its owners. 

Without a TRACKER fitted, Land Rover Defenders can be hidden in containers without detection and shipped abroad by organised criminal gangs who will make a tidy profit.  Don’t make it easy for thieves, fit a TRACKER device to help police close the net on the criminals.”

TRACKER’s SVR systems work like an electronic homing device. A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle, and there is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t even know it’s there.

Unlike any other provider of SVR devices, some TRACKER products combines GSM, GPS and VHF technology, and its use of VHF technology makes it resilient to ‘jamming’, creating the most robust SVR device available.   

Jamming devices, readily available on the internet, are increasingly being used by car thieves to disrupt GPS signals so that the police are unable to track and locate stolen vehicles fitted with SVR devises that rely on GPS alone.

Adrian Davenport concludes:  “We strongly advise Land Rover Defender owners to choose a system that provides a more resilient solution and, better still, one that delivers multiple means of location and communication. TRACKER’s SVR systems use unique VHF technology, offering motorists effective safeguards against theft, even if the GPS does fail.”

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

TRACKER Figures reveal the most stolen and recovered car models of 2013 - BMW again gets the #1 place.

TMW THOUGHTS

yet again, it has been shown that BMW and German products in particular dominate the chart for thefts for a third year, out of the 34 brands and models in the years 2011-2013 (some have equal billing) BMW take 14 of them, Mercedes 7, Audi 5, Porsche 2, VW 1, Land Rover 5, so what does that show, well, it shows what cars are stolen, but it also shows that these cars are actually taken, meaning that the security is seemingly not that good, so much so that the owners need to have extra Tracker coverage.

But then, what else does it say, the majority of the cars taken are from German brands, so all in all, it means higher insurance premiums for German cars, due to scumbags taking these cars, it means that some people will steer clear of these brands because they fear being targeted, and it shows how easy it is to take these cars in the first place, yes there are 5 instances of Land Rovers in the three years covered, and the same will apply,  higher insurance and fear of theft for buyer.

but in all honesty, I would still have a Land Rover product over any German car, this just goes to show, how easy they are at being taken. And the ease that Tracker can locate and get back the cars.

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According to the latest figures from TRACKER, the leading stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) expert, the BMW X5 remains top of the car thief’s shopping list. The BMW X5 was the car most frequently stolen and recovered in 2013, making this the fifth year in a row that it has topped the table. Last year TRACKER recovered nearly £8,500,000 worth of stolen vehicles and returned them to their owners. With the average value of cars stolen in 2013 being £23,600, savvy owners invest in a TRACKER unit to increase the chances of their BMW or any other vehicle being recovered.

TRACKER’s 2013 figures shows that the BMW M3 is the second most stolen and recovered vehicle, moving up from third the year before and sixth place in 2011. In 2012, the number two spot was occupied by the Land Rover Sport and Vogue, but in 2013, they sit in seventh and eighth place respectively. The Mercedes C Class makes its first appearance on the table, taking third place, whilst the Porsche 911 reappears in ninth for the first time since 2011.

BMWs dominate in 2013, with the 5 Series, X5, M3 and 3 Series all making the table. However, the Audi A4 has leaped from ninth position in 2011, up to fourth in 2013, showing even thieves have trends. This year, the Audi RS4 doesn’t appear at all, but the Audi S3 does, which takes equal eighth with the Range Rover Vogue. 

BMW proves yet again that their cars are so easy to steal - best not buy them.

“It’s clear from our latest figures that thieves continue to target prestige models with the most expensive car recovered being worth £90,000,” says Adrian Davenport, Police Liaison Officer for TRACKER. “The average value of the cars we recovered in 2013 was just £23,600, down on the average for the year before. This proves that you don’t have to be a luxury car owner to be at risk from thieves looking to make a quick profit.

“The best way to increase the likelihood of your vehicle being recovered, if it is stolen, is to invest in a tracking unit. Using our award-winning technology, our trackers emit a signal, which leads police to the stolen vehicle and reuniting owners with their cars.”

TRACKER stolen vehicle recovery systems work like an electronic homing device. A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t even know it’s there. Unlike other tracking systems, the device works even if the vehicle is hidden in a garage or taken abroad. TRACKER is the only vehicle tracking system operated by all police forces in the UK, offering car owners the ultimate in security. 

TRACKER’s Top Ten Most Stolen and Recovered

	2011	2012	2013
Top ten cars by make and model most frequently stolen and recovered	1.   BMW X5 2.   BMW 1 series 3.   BMW 3 series 4.   Audi  RS Series 5.   Volkswagen Golf 6.   BMW M3 7.   LandRover RangeRover 8.   Mercedes C Class 9.   Audi A4 Porsche 911	1. BMW X5 2. Land Rover – Vogue/Sport 3. BMW M3 4. BMW 3 Series / Audi RS4 = 5. Mercedes SLK 6. Mercedes ML 7. BMW M5/X6 = 8. Mercedes CLS/E Class =	1. BMW X5 2. BMW M3 3. Mercedes C Class 4. Audi S4 5. BMW M5 6. BMW 3 Series 7. Range Rover Sport 8. Range Rover Vogue, Audi S3 = 9. Mercedes E Class, BMW 5 Series, Porsche 911 =