received 11/07/2025:
From:
Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP
Minister of State for Policing and Crime Prevention
2 Marsham Street London
SW1P 4DF
To:
Helen Grant MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
DECS Reference: MIN/1343374/25
4 July 2025
Dear Helen,
Thank you for your email of 28 May to the Ministry of Justice on behalf of your constituent, Mr P Swift of [redacted], about stolen vehicles located abroad. Your email was transferred to the Home Office, and I am replying as the Minister of State for Policing and Crime Prevention.
Vehicle theft is a truly distressing crime. This Government is determined to drive down vehicle crime and we are working with the automotive industry and police, including the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on the issue, to ensure the strongest response possible to this damaging crime.
We provided £250,000 funding in the financial year 2024-25 to help support enforcement at the ports to prevent stolen vehicles and vehicle parts being shipped abroad, including additional staff and specialist equipment.
I chaired a roundtable in May, bringing together representatives from law enforcement agencies to discuss the issue of stolen vehicles being shipped out of the UK. The aim of the roundtable was to encourage greater collaboration between each agency, understand the main challenges and identify actions that can be taken to help tackle this serious issue.
Through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, a network of vehicle crime specialists has been established, involving every police force in England and Wales, to ensure forces can share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and better tackle regional issues.
Via the recently established National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and the policeled National Vehicle Crime Working Group, we are focusing on prevention and deterrence of theft of and from vehicles; this includes training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles, and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.
We are also engaging with international partners to deepen our understanding of crossborder vehicle theft and to identify potential options for effective international collaboration.
In the Crime and Policing Bill, which was debated at Commons Committee stage on 29 April, we have brought forward legislation to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, empowering the police and courts to target the criminals using, manufacturing and supplying them. This will support the changes manufacturers continue to make to prevent thefts. The maximum penalty for these offences will be five years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
I appreciate you taking the time to write, and I hope my response assures Mr Swift that I am dedicated to combatting vehicle crime.
Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP
Minister of State for Policing and Crime Prevention