London topped the table for vehicle theft in 2020, according to analysis by Quotezone.co.uk using the latest data gathered by the Economic Policy Centre.
The Metropolitan Police Service, covering 32 boroughs in the capital, reported the highest number of vehicle thefts in 2020 – 108,340. The force also had the country’s highest vehicle crime rate, with 15.1 reported thefts per 1,000 residents.
It was not all bad news for Londoners though, as there were 10,000 fewer reported vehicle thefts than in 2019 and the City of London Police recorded the lowest number of incidents – 165 – and a crime rate of 0.53 per 1,000 residents.
Year-on-year crimes rates (April 2019 to April 2020) were down in all areas, except Bedfordshire, which reflected the effect of the first lockdown. Drops of 40% or more in vehicle thefts were recorded by half of the police forces. The capital had a 14.5% fall in the same period.
The analysis is based on figures compiled by UK CrimeStats, a leading crime data research and analysis platform that covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland and gathers data based on reported crimes from 43 police forces. Vehicle theft refers to taking items from a vehicle or stealing the vehicle.
Responding to the new data, Greg Wilson, founder of Quotezone.co.uk, comments: “While London’s vehicle crime rate dropped last year, it’s remained persistently high.
“For those people who still find themselves victims of car crime, it is important to know what to do when you arrive at the scene. Make sure to call the police and your insurers as quickly as possible, don’t touch anything at the scene and take photos if you can – many households now have CCTV which can be incredibly useful if your car is stolen from home.”
Quotezone.co.uk compares over 110 UK car insurance providers to help customers get a competitive price and a policy that suits them best. Recommended by 97% of reviewers, Quotezone.co.uk helps around 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products including niche items such as young driver insurance, black box insurance and third party, fire and theft insurance.