There currently (2024) appears to be little appetite for vehicle theft investigations. A vehicle located abroad may prove more difficult to recover, a problem exacerbated by Brexit. It can be frustrating to try to ascertain who should do what and who may help.
More about ‘repatriation’ can be read here.
Post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which includes provisions for law enforcement cooperation between the UK and EU member states. This allows for data sharing and collaborative efforts in cross-border vehicle crime detection, even after the UK left the EU
Interpol and Europol channels remain critical for international cooperation.
The UK collaborates with these organizations for sharing data on stolen vehicles, ensuring that relevant information is rapidly accessible to police forces both in the UK and abroad. Similarly, for vehicles stolen across international borders, UK police often work with Europol and INTERPOL. INTERPOL maintains a stolen vehicle database that the UK police can access to trace vehicles stolen from or recovered in other countries.
Although the UK is no longer a member of the European Union, it previously had access to the Schengen Information System (SIS II), a pan-European database that allowed law enforcement agencies to share information on stolen vehicles. Post-Brexit, this access has been replaced by other cooperation mechanisms.
Post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), which includes provisions for law enforcement cooperation between the UK and EU member states. This allows for data sharing and collaborative efforts in cross-border vehicle crime detection, even after the UK left the EU
Cross-border co-operation on policing, security and criminal justice after Brexit – Published
‘Beyond Brexit: policing, law enforcement and security‘ – Published Monday, 07 February 2022