Stolen Vehicles Located Abroad

19/08/2024 to the MPS:

It appears, possibly affected by Brexit, the MPS has no interest in stolen vehicles located abroad – this despite the possibility the victim has links to the country in which the vehicle was found and that the car has turned up as a whole i.e. not as parts. It is possible it was driven abroad – no ports enquiry appears to have been made.

It appears I am being kept from information because to disclose would be to reveal the extent of the situation that is being ignored:

  • More vehicles are being stolen
  • Less are being found
  • More of those found are ‘shells’ i.e. total losses skewing the recovery impression
  • Less are being cloned – retained in the UK on false id

I suspect more are being taken abroad and that this is being ignored.

I wish to be provided the information requested, sufficient to understand what should occur, how and to consider this in relation to the attached (example recovery abroad).

22/08/2024 from the Senior Parliamentary Assistant, Office of Helen Grant OBE

Thank you for copying Helen into the correspondence below.

Please could you provide me with some further background on this specific case and let me know if there is anything we can do to help.

Member of Parliament for Maidstone and Malling
House of Commons | London | SW1A 0AA | 0207 219 7107
Constituency Office: First Floor, 109 Week Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1RB

22/08/2024 to the Senior Parliamentary Assistant, Office of Helen Grant OBE

I fear this is an issue affecting many victims/insurers and will be an increasing issue as vehicle theft continues to rise – latest indicates over 130,000/annum

My interest is theft of vehicles – prevention, detection and investigation. This is the tip of the iceberg and I will write more because I sincerely believe more can be done – and wrote as such in 2019, in some detail … only to be ignored. The police have more than enough on their plate … car theft can be better managed – my latest post is here.

To the matter in hand … at the start of last year insurers were advised a stolen (in London – MPS) vehicle in respect of which they made payment, was in Lithuania. It is being held, subject to court proceedings. We are advised that Lithuania advised Interpol, and yet no one from Interpol (GMP/NCA?) contacted our insurer client, and we heard nothing from the MPS

I have written to ACRO, DfT, DVLA, Home Office, MoJ, MPS, NCA and NPCC … and aside of understanding Brexit has affected agreements, I am no further forward. No one has offered to assist, to write to the Lithuanian authorities, though the MPS have confirmed the loss on letterhead to secure release. It appears Lithuania requires direct contact from the MPS, NCA/Interpol, but this has not been forthcoming, and I cannot force this.

I am told the NCA are liaising with the MPS. The NCA declines to advise to whom they have written, therefore I cannot evidence this conduct. In turn, I have no point of contact at the MPS to chase. I am forced to complain about the MPS to understand who has done what, if anything! The MPS have acknowledged the complaint – over 28 days ago – I am yet to receive anything meaningful.

It appears the UK PNC LoS register is being disclosed to other countries, enabling them to locate vehicles stolen in the UK without further assistance. A concern is that the vehicle is no longer in storage but may have been disposed of i.e. another may have been permitted to retain/acquire it i.e. this may be an abuse of the system.

I doubt this is an isolated case and will turn my mind to the FoIA in an attempt to understand whether the matter is more widespread

In the absence of a response …

23/05/2025 to the Senior Parliamentary Assistant, Office of Helen Grant OBE

Please can you advise the outcome of your enquiries in relation to this matter – see below – who was approached, the replies received

The issue of stolen vehicles being exported and repatriation has not gone away.  Indeed:

  1. Late 2024 NaVCIS appear to have repatriated 30 vehicles for finance companies – taken by fraud it appears – likely not assisting in reducing/affecting theft numbers
  2. The NCA have dismissively, unsatisfactorily addressed the issue/complaint
  3. The MPS have ignored the issue
  4. I have learned that another vehicle is respect of which we have an interest is in India – seemingly it was located a couple of years ago but no one told us or insurers.  The constabulary have gone quiet
  5. The CPS appear to have dropped a prosecution against someone who exported a vehicle reported stolen, found in Germany.  I believe the following to be an account from the police officer involved in the UK investigation ‘The CPS believed applying for this evidence [German crime report] so late on in the investigation would undermine international relations and therefore they are reluctant to proceed.’

Further information about the issue can be found here

28/05/2025 From: helen.grant.mp@parliament.uk
To: MinisterialCorrespondence@Justice.gov.uk
Subject: FW: 01/FOI/24/037073 Swift – stolen vehicles located abroad

Dear Sir/Madam

My office has been contacted by a claims management company in my constituency, regarding stolen vehicles that have been located abroad.

This has been raised with the CPS and Met Police but little progress has been made to help resolve this.

I would be grateful if you could let me know if the Government has any plans to address the issue of stolen vehicles located abroad.

With best wishes

Member of Parliament for Maidstone and Malling
Shadow Solicitor General
House of Commons | London | SW1A 0AA | 01622 669 623
Constituency Office: 109 Week Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1RB

17/10/2025 from the Senior Parliamentary Assistant, Office of Helen Grant OBE

Following the previous response from the Minister, no further enquiries have been made.

If you would like Helen to write to the Minister of State for Policing and Crime Prevention again, she will be happy to do so. However, the Minister was very clear in her response and I doubt that another response will be any different.