When is consent not consent, when is consent not freely given? When it is given to a loss adjuster itwould seem! Currently we can provide the insured / victim’s consent but it is rarely acceptable toconstabularies. We use the standard MoU document, a consent (Appendix D of the MoU) but toquote the City of London…
Author: 5@mwosb.co.uk
Thefts Down – Except for Newer Cars!
Stealing quality, not quantity. Whilst the number of recorded vehicle thefts in the UK fell by 4.5% last year (2024), according to DVLA data, thefts of vehicles under three years old actually increased by 6.6%. The number of stolen Toyota Hilux pickups rising by a staggering 549%. The data was obtained from the DLA and…
Increase Pre-Crush Retention Period to 28 days?
Crushing e-bikes after 7 days: meaningful action or media soundbite? The West Midlands PCC wants to halve the time before seized e-bikes and e-scooters are destroyed — from 14 days to 7. But does this change make a difference? A closer look at the Commissioner’s 17(?) claimed benefits reveals a common theme: most of these…
Reducing Vehicle Theft by up to 30%
Cost-Cutting Brilliance? You have likely heard the tale. Someone asks a matchbox company: “Want to save 50% on your striking strip costs?” Of course they do. “Only put the strip on one side of the box!“. A success. The suggestion is rewarded. Legendary, but unsubstantiated.* Crime-Cutting Reality Police officers approach the government: “We can cut…
‘The Others’ … are you among them?
Police Report Disclosure – the ICO, the NPCC and … ‘The Others’. They say communications were sent. Important ones. A police constabulary is adamant they contacted key individuals. But, ask for names, and there are none. Request the addresses, ask to see the messages… and the silence is deafening. No records. No replies. No trace….
Vehicle Abandonments Raise Questions Over Theft Claims
What is wrong with this vehicle taking scenario: Such an account challenges conventional assumptions about organised vehicle theft, which typically centres on profit-driven operations employing sophisticated tools and planning; organised & professional crime. The apparent carelessness of abandoning a targeted, valuable asset, apparently obtained furtively using specialist tools, raises what should be an obvious question:…
The State of Vehicle Taking in the UK: A Crisis of Enforcement, Not Engineering
Vehicle taking allegations in the United Kingdom hve surged in recent years, reaching a 15-year high with 129,159 vehicles stolen between April 2023 and March 2024 . This alarming trend has sparked debates over the root causes, with some attributing the rise to manufacturers’ security shortcomings. However, is the primary issue not attributable to vehicle…
Keystone Krooks – but £1.4 million stolen!
Car Theft Trio Jailed After Crime Spree Three individuals involved in a major car theft operation have been sentenced after a series of blunders led to their capture. One suspect left a bag containing car keys and cannabis in a coffee shop at a caravan park, while the others were apprehended following unrelated car crashes,…
2024 Vehicle Theft – how well (or otherwise) did your constabulary perform?
2023 vs. 2024 PNC LoS Comparison A comparison of the 2023 and 2024 ‘stolen’ car data received by the DVLA from constabularies, conveying, for both years: Then, by constabulary: The information is presented here. There are important caveats about the information, shedding further light on why the figures understate the issue. The UK’s recording of…
Vehicle Crime. Is Police Language Bluring Facts?
Vehicles, Cars, Car-Crime, Recoveries More vehicle ‘taking’ figures from the West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner’s office which, in 2019, was to spearhead a Vehicle Crime Taskforce. Rather than tackle the problem, a huge rise followed. The recent vehicle crime account appears encouraging at first glance, yet closer examination raises questions due to mixed terminology…