New police task force tackling car crime as thefts rise by a quarter

The new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on crime in the West Midlands, released this week, shows that incidents of car thefts increased by a quarter from June 2021 to June 2022.

Now, the force has launched a 25-strong unit and has made over 40 arrests related to car theft in a matter of weeks.

The unit strives to act swiftly on emerging intelligence on crime patterns and suspects, ramp up patrols in hotspot areas, and carry out operations to close down chop shops which act as a market for car thieves.

It launched in September and has already led to a number of successes include the number of crime theft reports beginning to drop, closing down three suspected chop shops and improving the force’s rate of stolen vehicle recovery, which is now double to what it was, this time last year.

West Midlands Police has been receiving between 250 to 350 car crime reports every week and Detective Superintendent Jim Munro, who heads up the Taskforce, said he understands the anger and frustration of being a victim of vehicle crime – and how he’s determined to catch the gangs who are causing people pain.

He said: “Having a vehicle stolen can cost livelihoods and cause huge inconveniences in our every day lives; from not being able to attend appointments or having to make other arrangements to get children to school. The thought of having a car key burglar in your home is also terrifying.

“So we’ve created this new team to focus on helping to catch these criminals and put them behind bars. We’ll be constantly assessing and monitoring which areas are being targeted in our region and be ready to pounce.

“We’ll have plain-clothed officers supporting our visible police presence and will act on intelligence we receive. We know a large number of vehicles end up in chop shops where they are dismantled for parts and we’ll execute warrants if we suspect illegal activity is taking place in premises.

“We also need the help of the public in driving down vehicle crime by letting us know of suspicious activity, or those involved, so we can act and stop it.”

Deputy Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine added: “Vehicle theft has increased by a quarter, this is largely driven by a global shortage of car parts with many cars stolen and ending up in chop shops, where they are broken down for parts which are then sold on. We’ve recently launched a new vehicle crime taskforce, focused on targeting offenders and also garages that are acting as chop shops.

“We would urge people to support us by reporting any suspicious behaviour at garages or industrial units. We’re also supporting security improvements at vehicle crime hotspots, including hotels and shops.

“Recovery rates of stolen vehicles have doubled over the past twelve months, from nine per cent, compared to September this year where the rate was in excess of 19 per cent.”

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, said: “I’m pleased to see West Midlands Police taking a tough stance on car crime.”