What Happens To Stolen Cars?
New research from Direct Line Motor Insurance reveals Cyprus was the most commonly identified destination for stolen cars out of three UK ports in 2020.
Figures from three ports managed by the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), Felixstowe, Tilbury and Southampton, found 37 per cent of identified stolen cars were destined for Cyprus.
A fifth (19 per cent) were destined for the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Ghana (11 per cent) and the UAE (six per cent) were other common destinations.
In the first nine months of 2021, £2.96 million worth of stolen vehicles were successfully identified by NaVCIS officers at ports. This is a 112 per cent increase on the value stolen in 2020 (£1.39 million).
The same timeframe saw a 14 per cent increase in the number of stolen vehicles identified at the three ports. In 2020, 63 vehicles were successfully identified as stolen by NaVCIS ports officers, rising to 72 in the first nine months of 2021. This means the average value of vehicles stolen has nearly doubled in less than 12 months, from £22,000 per vehicle in 2020 to £41,000 per vehicle in 2021.
Range Rover were the top car make identified at NaVCIS ports in 2020, making up nearly two fifths (38 per cent) of all stolen cars identified there. Ford (10 per cent), Mercedes, BMW and Land Rover (all at eight per cent) make up the top five.
Insight from convicted car thieves currently serving a custodial sentence suggests that many cars are stolen to order. For example, one convicted car thief said: “People order cars, so you know what you're going out for that night. You go out and get that specific car, van, whatever it is… Half the time I'll already know where there is one, because I know that much, so I can go straight to them”.
Figures from three ports managed by the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), Felixstowe, Tilbury and Southampton, found 37 per cent of identified stolen cars were destined for Cyprus.
A fifth (19 per cent) were destined for the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Ghana (11 per cent) and the UAE (six per cent) were other common destinations.
In the first nine months of 2021, £2.96 million worth of stolen vehicles were successfully identified by NaVCIS officers at ports. This is a 112 per cent increase on the value stolen in 2020 (£1.39 million).
The same timeframe saw a 14 per cent increase in the number of stolen vehicles identified at the three ports. In 2020, 63 vehicles were successfully identified as stolen by NaVCIS ports officers, rising to 72 in the first nine months of 2021. This means the average value of vehicles stolen has nearly doubled in less than 12 months, from £22,000 per vehicle in 2020 to £41,000 per vehicle in 2021.
Range Rover were the top car make identified at NaVCIS ports in 2020, making up nearly two fifths (38 per cent) of all stolen cars identified there. Ford (10 per cent), Mercedes, BMW and Land Rover (all at eight per cent) make up the top five.
Insight from convicted car thieves currently serving a custodial sentence suggests that many cars are stolen to order. For example, one convicted car thief said: “People order cars, so you know what you're going out for that night. You go out and get that specific car, van, whatever it is… Half the time I'll already know where there is one, because I know that much, so I can go straight to them”.
