It is time the public heard of positive developments regarding vehicle theft reporting and investigation. A certain amount of ‘connectivity’ would send a deterrent message.
Blaming vehicle manufacturers is passing the buck. If the Police have inadequate resources, they should seek partnerships with their stakeholders.
The public should be encouraged to report suspicions concerning vehicle theft. Video something dodgy, upload it. This flow of data, in a format that can be searched, could be useful both for investigation and as a deterrent.
Video Upload of Dashcam / mobile phone records is currently possible with NextBase ( a dashcam supplier – commonly seen at Halfords), it is police-oriented. We have an RTC slant and will shortly have a process for insureds, any party, to upload collision footage for claim/insurance purposes. The time and expense otherwise spent in Court would provide considerable savings, because dashcam footage is rarely challenged.
I would suggest someone is much more likely to upload a video to a ‘formal’ site than the likes of http://ratethatdriver.co.uk/*, yet even here there are those who will report useful information: MJ56WFK – Driver clearly wasn’t paying attention at the give way bollard, and went straight over it. To add insult to injury, their MOT has expired Nov 2018. Huntingdon http://sendvid.com/5eo4708p**
*currently (09/2025)offline.
**no longer available
In conclusion, I am calling upon constabularies to take the GDPR nettle as a reason to co-operate with relevant stakeholders, to design systems which take advantage of the digital systems which now surround us, to save their own costs and reduce crime.
The reported increase in vehicle crime is not just (if at all) a result of manufacturers ‘dropping the ball’, it is because the police have stood still and the criminal world has moved on. Thieves dishonestly appropriate property belonging to another. One way or another, they will take a vehicle if they want it … no one wants to make it easy for them but where is the deterrent?
What was intended to be an enhancement to the protection of personal data [the D.P.A.], has been turned into a reason to withdraw from engagement with victims of crime, insurers and their appointed agents. The criminals have taken advantage of this withdrawal, and until that issue has been addressed, vehicle-related crime figures will only deteriorate further. We are now fighting against crime with one hand behind our backs, and being blindfolded too.