180 Arrests & 316 Stolen Cars

Praise where due .... last week’s National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) operation at nine UK ports, saw 180 arrests made in conjunction with 316 stolen cars, motorbikes and lorries recovered. However, greater carmaker-insurer-police data sharing is required to significantly reduce soaring UK vehicle crime.

It was particularly pleasing to see vehicle manufacturers getting credit for their security upgrades for once, instead of being criticised for supposed vulnerabilities.

The new NaVCIS statistic, that the number of stolen vehicles detected at UK ports increased by 29% in Q2 2024 is extremely worrying. It is in line with everything we are seeing – thefts up significantly, while recoveries are at an all-time low. That is a grim combination. What is more, of the smaller number recovered, a high percentage have serious damage. Often, they will have been targeted for valuable parts, such as catalytic converters or headlights – the emerging ‘eye-snatching’ trend.

In response to the NaVCIS operation, it has been widely suggested that car thieves are reverting to stealing keys rather than using keyless methods like scanners. But my question is, how would we know? Many constabularies do not record the theft method - though it is known better information about the methods used to commit vehicle theft, including how often those methods are used in practice, is key to understanding the threat.

Some cars are being stolen by security bypass, but it can also be a very convenient explanation, reminiscent of the old fishing rod through the letterbox story – no break-in but the car has gone so the insurer should pay out. It leaves us questioning how many cars were genuinely stolen by these ‘key fishermen’. Sadly, we see similarities with keyless theft claims today. Where’s the evidence?”

With the cost of motor claims continuing to increase, CMA and QuestGates remain open to conversations with anyone serious about tackling vehicle crime. For further info please visit: cmaclaims.co.uk