Auto Industry Seeks Deeper Dive Into Car-Theft Data

The U.K. automotive industry urges authorities to collect more detailed data about how vehicles are being stolen as a way to help reduce theft rates.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says the number of vehicles stolen in the region has fallen 70% in the past decade with 69,547 thefts last year, compared with 231,323 in 2004.

It cites Office for National Statistics figures showing 842 fewer thefts last year than in 2013, a 1.2% decline, and the crime now is at its lowest point since 1968.

With more than 36 million vehicles on the road, the figures show just 0.2% of the U.K. fleet was stolen in 2014.

SMMT CEO Mike Hawes says the continued reduction in vehicle theft follows a sustained effort by automakers to help make vehicles more secure.

The industry invests billions of pounds each year to keep it on the cutting edge of technology and stay ahead of criminals. The introduction of advanced security systems as standard equipment is helping make vehicles harder to steal.

“Thanks to significant investments by car manufacturers in the latest security systems, vehicle thefts across the U.K. are at the lowest levels for decades,” Hawes says in a statement.

“We are, however, calling for better tracking of how different vehicles are stolen so that we have an accurate understanding of how criminals are operating and can develop future technology to eradicate vehicle crime.”

He says trends in types of vehicle theft are not well understood because only a small number of police forces collect and analyze this data. This can lead to skewed public perceptions about the regularity of certain types of vehicle theft across the region.