23/04/2025 – The West Midlands Police & Crime Commissioner (WMP&CC) post about ‘car’ thefts appears encouraging at first glance, yet closer examination raises questions due to mixed terminology and ambiguous details:
“Vehicles”: Operation Vantor aims to tackle “vehicle thefts,” but the term “vehicles” broadly includes anything from quad bikes and scooters to heavy plant machinery, as per DVLA classifications. Clarity on precisely what types of vehicles are involved (cars alone?) would enhance transparency.
“Cars”: When citing a 35% increase from 11,990 (2021) to 16,232 (2023) this is specified; “cars.” No other ‘vehicle’ categories?
“Car Crime”: A 10% reduction in ‘car crime’ potentially includes crimes like ‘theft from’ vehicles. Clarifying whether this reduction specifically relates to vehicle theft itself or a broader category would improve understanding of actual progress against theft.
Recovery of 300 Vehicles: The report mentions the recovery of 300 vehicles (average value £10,000) but does not specify the timeframe. If these recoveries occurred since May 2024, they represent approximately 2% of the annual car theft rate (around 15,000?). Furthermore, it remains unclear if these recovered vehicles originated from within West Midlands Police jurisdiction, thus leaving questions about the direct effectiveness of local measures.
This represents 100 more seizures, valued at £ 1.2 million since the 13/02/2025 post, which conveyed similar information.
However, it is unknown whether these recovered vehicles originated from within West Midlands Police jurisdiction, thus leaving questions about the direct effectiveness of local measures.
Were these vehicles recovered as a whole, as-was pre-theft, or a collection of components? Whilst still representing a full value (total) loss, the victim in the same position as though the vehicle had not been found. Are abandoned, burnt-out vehicles included within the figures?
Prosecutions: Silence on this aspect, which must surely be an important prevention/deterrent factor. The Birmingham press reported, 2023 ‘hardly any car thieves end up being caught’.
Possibly, manufacturers are still (inappropriately) the scapegoat for the conduct of the ‘professional’ and ‘organised’ party in this crime; those stealing vehicles?
Given the significance of this issue, especially considering the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s leadership in the 2019 Vehicle Crime Taskforce (which saw limited tangible outcomes), more precise and detailed information would better illustrate the true effectiveness of recent initiatives.
Standardised terminology and consistent crime recording or relevant information should be established nationwide.
Transparent reporting of theft methodologies, such as the extent of “security bypass,” would further enhance the credibility and value of such public statements.
A request for the information supporting the PCC Vehicle/Car Theft figures for 2023 & 2024 has been made of WMP and the WMP&CC. The responses are awaited.
Note:
In 2023, WMP notified the DVLA of 13,464 LoS (lost or stolen) VRMs (vehicle registration marks), in 2024, the notifications had reduced by 620 to 12,844. These figures are for all vehicles and only represent those that reached the DVLA
