Organised crime gangs in 'arms race' with car makers over security technology as vehicle thefts soar by 75 per cent in a decade - now 130,000 stolen every year

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

Car makers are locked in an 'arms race' with criminal gangs over security as thefts soar by 75 per cent in a decade, a new report shows.
About 130,000 vehicles are stolen each year, driven by increasingly sophisticated groups who exploit advanced technologies and insufficient police responses, a think tank said.
Vehicle theft now costs the UK economy about £1.77billion a year and has driven an 82 per cent increase in car insurance premium quotes since 2021, the report, Organised Vehicle Theft in the UK: Trends and Challenges, found.
The charge rate for vehicle theft offences has fallen from 9.2 per cent in 2014 to just 2.6 per cent in 2024, and many police forces have scrapped their specialist vehicle units.
Criminals are able to adapt 'more swiftly than anticipated' to manufacturer's security updates, and criminals use sophisticated document fraud methods to 'alter a car's identity' then sell it abroad, the report found.
'The research findings depict a vehicle security ecosystem that has less resilience and fewer resources than the criminal threat it confronts,' the report states.
'Vehicle theft is no longer a low-level, opportunistic crime, but rather a high-value, low-risk form of serious and organised crime with domestic and international dimensions.
'The criminal vehicle theft economy is far more resilient than the public and private systems meant to stop it.'
The charge rate for vehicle theft offences has fallen from 9.2 per cent in 2014 to just 2.6 per cent in 2024, and many police forces have scrapped their specialist vehicle units
Drawing on interviews with police, engineers and industry leaders, the research documents the rapid evolution of vehicle crime from opportunistic thefts to high-tech operations with sophisticated international links.
Stolen vehicles flow almost interrupted from UK ports to international hub markets including the UAE, Cyprus and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – often leaving Britain the day they are stolen.
Criminal gangs exploit vulnerabilities in vehicle software with innovative devices that can cost £20,000 – but unlock thousands of cars, the report found.
Its authors, Elijah Glantz, Mark Williams and Alastair Greig, of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), recommend urgent reforms to counter the threat.
A RUSI spokesman said: 'The report is a stark warning that vehicle theft in the UK is no longer a petty opportunistic crime but a dynamic and profitable form of serious and organised crime that crosses borders, exploits loopholes, and undermines public trust in the criminal justice system.
'A national response that is both agile and transnational must evolve to meet a threat.'