The Home Office's quarterly crime
statistics have publicised a six per cent decrease in offences
against vehicles*. However, Andrew Smith, Managing Director of
Cobra UK, European market leader for
stolen
vehicle tracking services, announced a 129 per
cent increase in vehicle thefts from quarter three to quarter four
in 2008**.
"Although Home Office figures illustrate
a decline in offences against vehicles, in Cobra UK's experience,
this is not the case," reports Andrew Smith. "We usually see
vehicle thefts increase in the run-up to Christmas, but we saw a
significant rise in 2008. This could be due to the current economic
climate and we predict there will be further effects on vehicle
crime in the coming months."
Whilst the Home Office reports that
vehicle crime is on the decrease, it indicates a four per cent rise
in burglary, with 69,000 cases between July and September last
year***. However, as methods of obtaining vehicles have
changed with improvements in alarm and immobiliser systems, the
most common method of obtaining vehicle keys, in order to steal
cars, is through domestic burglary (37%)****.
"Burglary has become the most popular
method for obtaining vehicle keys," stated Mr Smith. "Almost all
modern vehicles are fitted with effective anti-theft systems as
standard, but these do not stop a criminal unlocking your vehicle
and driving away if they have the key. Due to the way crime is
recorded, it could suggest that in cases where a vehicle is stolen
after a burglary, this is only recorded as an offence against the
home."
Further statistics obtained from police
forces suggest that as the financial crisis hit in the run-up to
Christmas, crime increased across the board. The figures indicate
that burglary and robbery rose in 31 out of 43 forces across
England and Wales from September to December 2008 compared to the
final months of the previous year. Within the 31 areas, this
amounted to an additional 5,572 offences compared to
2007*****.
With this increase in vehicle thefts,
Cobra UK is warning motorists to be proactive and
fit a GPS tracking system, such as CobraTrak, to significantly increase the
chances of a vehicle being located and returned if
stolen.