Huge fall in car theft figures across region – but Nissan and BMW buck trend
The number of vehicles stolen in the West Midlands has fallen by almost 2,000 in the past two years, new figures show.
Figures from the Police and Crime Commissioner's office show 8,453 vehicles were stolen in 2020, compared to 10,311 in 2018 – a decrease of 18 per cent.
The drop in the last 12 months – which takes in the first two Covid lockdowns – was seven per cent.
The data also shows that in the last year thefts of Land Rovers fell by 43 per cent to 349, while Audi thefts fell by almost a quarter (24 per cent) to 502.
Fords – which make up 16 per cent of cars on the road and 31 per cent of all thefts – were the most commonly stolen make of car, with 2,309 reported stolen in 2020, a slight drop on the previous year's figure.
Some makes saw thefts rise in 2020. They include BMW, which went up eight per cent to 552, and Nissan, which saw by far the biggest overall rise of 107 per cent to 402.
West Midlands PCC David Jamieson has called on car makers to do more to improve security. He claims they have "taken their eye off the ball" on keyless technology, which he says has made criminals lives easier.
He said: "It is outrageous that manufacturers are still producing vehicles that can be stolen in a matter of seconds, often by teenagers."
Mr Jamieson said that despite lockdown there had been an "unequal impact on vehicle theft figures depending on the make of vehicle people own".
"Police will continue to pursue and arrest car thieves and the organised criminals fuelling thefts in our region, but there is a lot manufacturers could do to ensure their vehicles are more secure," he added.
As part of Operation Cantil West Midlands Police had made almost 2,500 arrests and recovered more than 1,000 vehicles by the end of last year.
The latest Home Office crime data shows that in the year to September 2020 all vehicle crime fell by 26 per cent in the West Midlands to 27,851.
