Home Office data has revealed the extent of the neglect police forces apply to car theft crimes, with recent monthly figures showing just 1.43 per cent of car thefts result in any criminal charges.
The figures collated by dash cam supplier Nextbase following a Freedom of Information request, show that from July 2022 to June 2023, the charge rate for vehicle thefts declined steadily from an already poor 2.8 per cent to just 1.43 per cent. Drivers in the capital London saw criminals being charged in just 0.69 per cent of cases where cars were stolen - the Metropolitan Police issued charges in 214 cases last year, out of the 31,200 incidents of car theft that were reported.
According to information provided by the Home Office, the average charge rate over 12 months for stolen vehicles nationwide was 2.12 per cent across all police forces, leading a spokesperson for Nextbase to suggest the practice of stealing cars “appears to be essentially decriminalised”.
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