04/2024, a request was made to the MPS for information about the repatriation process.
“I ask to be provided information held about the/your:
- agreement for the sharing of
a. the UK’s PNC LoS (VRM) records with other countries
b. other countries sharing information with the UK - policy/procedure when notified a vehicle stolen in the UK has been recovered abroad
- policy/procedure to be adopted by the country recovering/possessing the vehicle. Should this not be a general (all encompassing, all country but individual to each) policy, I ask to be provided the arrangement insofar as it pertains to Lithuania.
- any UK Interpol office contact, phone number and email for liaison about LoS vehicles located abroad”
02/07/2024 MPS ref 01/FOI/24/037073
If a vehicle is stolen in the UK and there is intelligence to suggest it is in another country, then the MPS would advise the officer to send an Interpol enquiry to that country. If the country is not known then the officer may send a Circulation (Like a PNC locate trace marker to all the listed countries or zones) If it relates to or been involved in Serious and Organised crime then the MPS may contact that country via Europol channels. These decisions will vary depending on whether it is a simple case of theft or whether an individual or the crime is linked to organised crime.
In relation to being notified that a UK stolen vehicle was recovered abroad then the MPS is unlikely to be contacted about this and most likely be received by UK Interpol from the host Interpol country. The MPS would only be contacted if the vehicle or persons in possession of the vehicle were connected to Serious and Organised crime or an ongoing operation.
Every country is likely to have a different policy or procedure. In general the stolen car should be seized by police and pretrial investigation should be started . Next step they inform UK Interpol unit and ask the details of owner, circumstances of crime and provide info what kind of documents should be presented for recovery of vehicle (also write down all contacts of investigators who run the case). Sometimes they ask the London based officer when they do not receive the answear from UK Interpol Manchester for long time. Then recovery procedure managed directly with owner or insurance company.
21/08/12024 the MPS added under their ref. 01/FOI/24/038068/J:
Q1. The MPS Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Removal of Lost or Stolen (LOS) Vehicles, which VRES owns, primarily relates to stolen vehicles found by Met Police officers in London. This SOP does include information about the recovery of non-UK stolen vehicles, but only where found here in London and how contact should be made with the relevant overseas law enforcement agency. It does not deal with how requests from overseas law enforcement agencies, about UK stolen vehicle that have found abroad, should be administered.
Pre-Brexit there was a VRES – Shengen Alert (SISII) and LOS Vehicle Policy (this was repealed following Brexit and the loss of access to the SISII database) and the relevant parts adopted in the current MPS LOS Recovery policy.
This made reference to a “Vehicle Found Abroad Process”, but states that this was not a VRES Process (Please see attached file titled Shengen Vehicle found abroad process – Repealed) – it says this process was ultimately administered by the Sirene Bureau (no longer exists) and involved the OIC of the UK LOS report being notified and given options about what to do with the vehicle. VRES would only become involved if there was a need to recover the vehicle to the UK as a criminal exhibit
I’ve detailed in Q1 that the VRES – Shengen Alert (SISII) and LOS Vehicle policy were repealed and the MPS SOP for the Removal of LOS Vehicles updated to include a section on non-UK LOS vehicles found by officers in London. This includes information about the recovery of such vehicles, undertaking Interpol I24/7 database checks and how the finding officer should notify the reporting country / law enforcement agency about the vehicle.
There were a few Operational Notices about the Interpol toolkit published on the MPS intranet:
• Brexit contingencies and what you need to know – dated 25/11/2020
• Interpol database and loss of SISII
• Brexit – The Met’s position – October 2019
Brexit contingencies and what you need to know
This guidance focused of Brexit contingencies outlining what officers need to know published on the MPS Intranet on 25/11/2020. Further information can be found on the college of policing site.
College of Policing Authorised Professional practice site.
Further information and guidance
• Use Interpol’s I-24/7 as a backup to the potential loss of SISII alerts
• Familiarise yourselves with the updated guidance hosted locally on Force intranet sites and the College of Policing landing page and Authorised Professional Practice-International
Interpol database and loss of SISII
This guidance outlined that as of the 31st December 2020 the UK no longer have access to SIS, EU alerts on PNC.
The Interpol database will be the format used by the UK and EU Policing to circulate alerts inside/outside of the UK.
Any further information is exempt under section 31(1), section 40(2) and partial NCND under section 31(3) section 40(5) section 23(5).
Brexit – The Met’s position – October 2019
This guidance says the UK is due to leave the European Union (EU) on 31 October 2019. This may impact on policing in a variety of way and the Met has plans in place for a range of scenarios:
Any further information is exempt under section 31(1), section 40(2) and partial NCND under section 31(3) section 40(5) section 23(5).
The MPS is responding in general as to the process regarding circulation and notification to countries. The MPS would not share who we use to conduct those enquiries with. The MPS sensitive intelligence unit, may get involved in assisting officers if the vehicle is linked in some way to organised crime and there is an ongoing need to obtain more intelligence relating to the vehicle or persons using.
The MPS Schengen Vehicle Alert procedural flow chart was provided and can be viewed here.
A further response, received 21/11/2024, was as follows:
MPS ref: 01/FOI/24/039715/V
It has been difficult to locate detailed information in this instance, because your request essentially covers a national process for a relatively niche area, which is not specific to the MPS policing district. For these reasons it has been difficult to identify any one policy that covers the specific circumstances outlined in your request, or any one department or individual within the organisation who has expertise in the subject matter of vehicles stolen in the UK that are recovered abroad.
With this in mind, it is important to note that the sharing agreements that were disclosed in response to Question 1 are national agreements, in which the MPS is just one of 48 other police forces that are party to the agreements.
As the UK now relies upon Interpol’s Stolen Motor Vehicles (SMV) Database to circulate lost or stolen vehicles internationally, the MPS provided you with an overview of the process for submitting an Interpol enquiry in relation to Question 2 of your request.
However, your request covers a national process, and whilst Interpol are not subject to the FOIA, they should be contacted if more detailed information is required, because the MPS does not hold more detailed information. I have included a link to Interpol’s online contact form below.
- Note: the above Interpol form has been utilised. No response was forthcoming.
The MPS continued:
Furthermore, whilst the MPS hold policies on the processes that govern vehicles stolen within London, once a crime takes place or is detected abroad, the relevant country is responsible for the policies and procedures that govern how they undertake their investigation. Therefore in this instance, it is more appropriate for the Lithuanian Police to provide detailed information on the policies that cover stolen UK vehicles that are recovered in Lithuania, and the MPS does not hold further information.
However, I understand that in an effort to assist you, upon receipt of your request, the Lithuanian Police were contacted and that they provided a written response to Question 3 of your request. I note that the MPS went above and beyond what we were legally obligated to do by obtaining information from an external third party in this way. It is therefore important to clarify that this information was provided outside the scope of the FOIA as a gesture of goodwill. This is because the FOIA only provides a right of access to information that is already held in recorded form, at the time the request is received.
However, the Lithuanian police did not contact us and the MPS has provided no such reply; this is the first time such an approach has been heard of, and no written response has been received.
25/11/2024 – request for Lithuanian exchanges made.
27/11/2024 – the MPS respond ‘Freedom of Information Act 2000 Acknowledgement – Reference: 01/FOI/24/041543/S