Extracts from the fact sheets that apply to vehicle crime:
Background
A significant proportion of vehicle theft is driven by organised crime groups, which costs hundreds of millions of pounds in social and economic harm each year. There is a demand for stolen vehicles, which means this is a highly attractive and lucrative area for criminals to gain profit from selling stolen vehicles and vehicle parts. Particular makes and models are targeted due to their resale value, the ease with which they can be accessed illegally or because they are being stolen to order. Organised criminals find ways to overcome security measures, even in the latest vehicle models, by exploiting vulnerabilities in vehicles and new technologies.
Electronic devices include devices which manipulate the signal from remote locking devices, such as signal jammers and signal amplifiers.
These devices are not, in themselves, currently illegal to possess*. Offenders can be charged with going equipped to commit theft under section 5** of the Theft Act 1968, conspiracy to steal or conspiracy to handle stolen goods but the offender’s motivation needs to be proved.
* yet, apparently ‘These devices have no legitimate purpose, apart from assisting in criminal activity …’ read more here.
** appears to be a typo – s25 of the Theft Act 1968 relates to ‘going equipped’
Serious crime factsheet – electronic devices & vehicle taking
What are we going to do?
Ensure the police and courts have the necessary powers to help tackle serious and organised crime. Measures in the Crime and Policing Bill will:
(a) Create new powers to ban electronic devices used in vehicle theft or theft from a vehicle.
How are we going to do it? Vehicle theft
The bill introduces two new offences to criminalise the possession, importation, making, adapting, supplying or offering to supply an electronic device (such as a signal jammer) for use in theft of a vehicle or theft of anything in a vehicle. The maximum penalty for these offences will be five years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
Vehicle theft
The latest estimates from the Crime Survey for England Wales (CSEW) show that there were 732,000 incidents of vehicle-related theft in the year ending September 2024 [footnote 1]
Police Recorded Crime data shows a breakdown of vehicle offences which shows there was a total of 375,048 vehicle related thefts in year ending September 2024. 188,517 of these offences were theft from a vehicle and 132,412 were theft of a motor vehicle. [footnote 2]
The Metropolitan Police Service estimates that in London, electronic devices are used in approximately 60% of vehicle theft.
According to the CSEW, from April 2019 to March 2020, an offender manipulated signal from remote locking device was used in 36% of vehicle thefts. [footnote 3] The CSEW also shows there were 726,000 vehicle-related thefts in the year ending September 2023. This figure includes theft of a vehicle, theft from a vehicle and attempted thefts. [footnote 4]
Frequently asked questions
What is covered within the definition ‘electronic device’?
Using a broad definition means electronic devices which may be developed in the future would be covered by this legislation. If the types of devices currently in use were to be described in the provision, the legislation would need to be constantly updated if a new device was developed by criminals, and would not offer sufficient flexibility to ensure that prosecutions for this offence can continue.
Isn’t this covered by existing offences?
Offenders can be charged with going equipped to commit theft under section 5 of the Theft Act 1968, conspiracy to steal or conspiracy to handle stolen goods.
These existing offences put the burden on the prosecution to prove the defendant’s intention to steal a vehicle.
Will all signal jammers be blocked?
There are some legitimate uses for signal devices, such as signal repeaters which have been approved for use by Ofcom, and are legal to own and use, for example to boost mobile phone signal where the signal is otherwise weak.
We must ensure the new offence is proportionate and able to be used without creating legal ambiguity.
How will users of these electronic devices prove their legitimate use? There are very few legitimate uses for these devices which is why we are taking steps to criminalise their possession. Those who do have a valid use for such a device should have no difficulty in demonstrating that
Footnotes
- Crime in England and Wales: year ending September 2024 – Office for National Statistics ↩
- Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables – GOV.UK ↩
- Crime in England and Wales: year ending March 2020 – Office for National Statistics ↩
- Crime in England and Wales – Office for National Statistics ↩
The following may also be of interest:
Police powers factsheet – ‘Tracking’ & DVLA Licence
(b) create new powers for the police to enter and search premises to which stolen goods have been electronically geolocation tracked, where it is not practicable to obtain a warrant, empowering officers to quickly investigate theft and tackle prolific offenders in these cases. The new power will also enable police lawfully on those premises to seize stolen goods and evidence of theft offences.
- The electronic geolocation tracking requirement will encompass tracking via GPS or other electronic location data such as Bluetooth, WiFi access points or cellular mobile network technology. The provision will be sufficiently broad to encompass future technological developments, insofar as possible.
(c) Regularise and clarify the access to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (“DVLA”) driving licence records and, via secondary legislation, provide that the information may be used for policing or law enforcement purposes.