‘Postcode lottery’ for finding stolen cars in the south
Wed, 15 May 2024
New research has found huge disparities between the recovery rate of stolen vehicles across South East England.
In London during 2023, the Metropolitan Police found almost 55% of vehicles reported stolen to them. In contrast, Kent Police found a mere 5.6% of vehicles, while Bedfordshire Police only recovered 8.3%.
This means that almost 95% of vehicles stolen in Kent were never seen again by their owners.
The Met’s relatively standout performance follows a huge 33,864 vehicles reported stolen in 2023, of which 18,381 were recovered.
Although the number of stolen vehicles reported to Kent Police was far lower, at 2429, it still only managed to recover a mere 131 vehicles.
The freedom of information request from car insurance loss adjustor Claims Management & Adjusting (CMA) was issued because its technical director Philip Swift, a former detective, knows that some police forces perform much better than others.
"These new figures put that postcode lottery into shockingly sharp focus. This is a trend that deserves far more attention," says Swift.
He said all makes and models are affected while the implications on the cost of car insurance can be considerable.
"Back in the 1990s, the national average recovery rate was around 70%. It’s nowhere near that now. According to this new data, the average four the South East is just 25%."
Swift says the new research poses some big questions, including why the Met is apparently 10 times better than neighbouring Kent, and why some forces are so reluctant to provide even basic data. "The overall impression is that tackling vehicle theft just isn’t a priority," says Swift.
