Failure of successful  police actions on basic crimes are an ongoing issue.
With lower police numbers, and increased complexities and abuse of technology,  many common crimes leave few leads for the investigators to follow.
Car thefts seem a prime example of this according to official figures.

No apprehension

Government Home Office figures show that the vast majority of car thieves avoid any criminal charges for their actions.

Data reveals that just 2.12% of all vehicles stolen from July 2022 to June 2023 resulted in an arrest and charges by police.

In recent years, criminals have started using modern technology to steal vehicles.

According to the RAC, some use tracking devices to target certain drivers, while others use car hacking for vehicles that have keyless systems.

The information was acquired by Nextbase through FOI request and covered England and Wales.

Geographical goals

Analysis of the data showed that the areas where you are most likely to see a conviction are City of London (9.38%), Norfolk (7.68%), Suffolk (5.31%), Surrey (5.2%), and North Wales (5.11%).

However, as the stats show, conviction rates are. stubbornly low.

The least likely places where a car thief will be convicted are Warwickshire (0.94%), Bedfordshire (1.21%), Essex (1.31%), Wiltshire (1.54%), and Hampshire (1.62%).

October 2022 saw the highest number of total thefts, with 9,736.

It was followed by November 2022 (9,392) and September 2022 (9,120).

Meanwhile, August 2022 saw the highest average conviction rate with 2.88% . However,  May 2023 saw the lowest average of 1.21% across England and Wales.

No blue lights on the horizon

Over the 12-month period there was a steady decline in the conviction rate.

In total, there were 104,678 reported vehicle thefts from July 2022 to June 2023 – and just 2,215 individuals were caught and convicted of criminal charges.

This represents just a 2.12% conviction rate for car thefts in England and Wales over a 12-month period.

Bryn Brooker, Head of Road Safety at Nextbase, said: “Criminals would not be stealing this many cars if they had a higher chance of getting prosecuted.

“Police do what they can but are stretched and need your help, especially given the vulnerabilities of some modern cars to relay theft.”

Tea leaf popularity

Recently the DVLA provided info on the top 10 most stolen cars of 2023.

The Ford Fiesta was the most stolen vehicle, with 5,976 taken by thieves.

Its sibling, the Ford Focus (2,120), came in second,  while the Volkswagen Golf (2,028) followed in third.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class (1,786) was next in line, then the Range Rover Sport (1,631) and Range Rover Evoque (1,498).

It was the BMW 3 Series (1,466), Vauxhall Corsa (1,110), Vauxhall Astra (1,086) and Land Rover Discover Sport (954) that made up the list.