Hotspots for car theft across England and Wales

Gareth Herincx

3 days ago
Auto News

Car crime vehicle theft

New research has revealed the regions in England and Wales that see the most – and least – vehicle thefts.

Car insurance experts at Uswitch analysed how car thefts have changed over the last five years by analysing ONS crime and vehicle theft statistics, to reveal the regions with the highest rate of vehicle thefts.

London has the highest rate of vehicle crimes per head with 113.0 reported per 10,000 people.

The West Midlands have the second-highest rate of vehicle crime in England and Wales, with 87.0 crimes per 10,000 people in the area, whilst Greater Manchester places third, with 79.6 reported crimes per 10,000 people.

10 police areas with the highest rate of vehicle crime in England & Wales 

Rank Area  Population (2019) No. Offences to March 21 Vehicle Crime Rate per 10,000
1 London (Metropolitan Police) 8,952,300 101,131 113.0
2 West Midlands 2,928,600 25,470 87.0
3 Greater Manchester 2,835,700 22,568 79.6
4 Bedfordshire 675,000 5,079 75.2
5 South Yorkshire 1,409,000 10,266 72.9
6 Hertfordshire 1,189,500 6,959 58.5
7 Essex 1,846,700 10,392 56.3
8 West Yorkshire 2,332,500 13,086 56.1
9 Warwickshire 577,900 3,210 55.5
10 Northamptonshire 753,300 4,134 54.9

Meanwhile, the area covering the Welsh regions of Dyfed and Powys has the lowest rate of vehicle crime in the country, standing at 12.1 crimes per 10,000 people.

Regions in England and Wales that see the lowest rate of vehicle theft

Rank Area Population (2019) No. Offences to March 21 Vehicle Crime Rate per 10,000
1 Dyfed-Powys 519,700 628 12.1
2 Cumbria 500,000 704 14.1
3 North Wales 699,600 1,061 15.2
4 Devon and Cornwall 1,772,500 3,107 17.5
5 North Yorkshire 828,700 1,534 18.5

The Uswitch study also revealed that from 2016 to 2021, national vehicle crime numbers fell by 8.70% from 365,037 to 336,650.

North Wales has seen the biggest reduction in vehicle crime in the last 5 years, with the number of offences falling by 48.3% to 1,061 in the year to March 2021.

The Metropolitan Police saw the biggest increase in vehicle crime anywhere in the country, with numbers rising by as much as 22.1%.

Since Covid-19, vehicle crime has reduced nationwide by 27.13% with over 100,000 fewer crimes being recorded during the first year of the pandemic.

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Vehicle thefts down during the pandemic

Gareth Herincx

2 days ago
Auto News

The total number of stolen vehicles in the UK dropped by nearly 15% in 2020 while many of us were at home and able to watch over our cars due to the pandemic, according to new research.

Insurer comparethemarket.com analysed data from 26 police forces, revealing that 61,743 vehicles were stolen over the last two years – 28,454 in 2020, compared to 33,289 in 2019.

Overall, the West Midlands fell victim to the most crimes in the past two years. However, it’s Birmingham West that ranks top for the total number of offences, despite thefts in 2020 decreasing by nearly 21% compared to 2019.

While theft rates in Liverpool, Sheffield and Birmingham East also decreased last year, Doncaster saw thefts increase by 8%.

Top 10 vehicle theft hotspots

Rank Location 2019 thefts 2020 thefts Total
1 Birmingham West 1,730 1,375 3,105
2 Liverpool 1,276 1,062 2,338
3 Sheffield 1,199 1,123 2,322
4 Birmingham East 1,050 991 2,041
5 Doncaster 739 796 1,535
6 Sandwell 726 748 1,474
7 Brighton and Hove 672 590 1,262
8 Rotherham 557 615 1,172
9 Luton Borough 679 486 1,165
10 Coventry 506 608 1,114

Range Rover and Land Rover topped the league table for the most stolen and recovered vehicles across the UK.

Read the full breakdown of the Top 20 theft hotspots and tips on keeping your vehicle safe…

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