Organised car theft gangs target luxury models

An article in the Daily Telegraph by David Williams takes an in-depth look at car thefts in the UK. Despite a falling level of theft numbers (1991: 347,000, 2011: 95,681) the proportion of vehicles never returned to their owners is rising. Figures from RetainaGroup show that 41 per cent were returned last year, compared with 51 per cent in 2008 and 70 per cent in 2002. The insurer Swiftcover says that, last year, 65,000 UK-registered vehicles were stolen and never recovered, with a value of £300 million.

As security systems become more sophisticated and with access to high-tech tracking, cameras etc, why should the numbers of vehicles not returned be rising? One reason is the fall in numbers of policemen actively involved in investigating vehicle theft but another reason is connected to the sophisticated anti-theft devices – Dr. Ken German, former president of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, is quoted in the article as saying that, before the advent of these devices, cars were easier to steal and many were taken by joyriders. Today’s thefts are of high-value cars for illegal export. Says Dr German: “Large but unknown numbers are shipped abroad to fund organised crime.”

High-tech methods

Ian Platt, director of the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators, concurs, pointing out that increased auto security made it necessary to steal the car keys first, reducing the number of opportunistic joyrider thefts. He adds: “Now thieves don’t need a key, just a blank one they can electronically reprogram with a piece of kit bought online.”

The problem was highlighted on the BBC TV programme Watchdog, which reported on thieves breaking into luxury cars (high-tech BMWs were popular) before illegally programming blank keys on hand-held OBD devices that access data from the vehicle’s onboard diagnostic port.

These OBD devices, explained Platt, are available legitimately for the automotive trade, costing £6,000 to £8,000, but he warns that cheaper and simpler devices are available for £100, adding: “We are going to see a lot more luxury cars disappearing in the future.”

And where do they end up? The highly-organised gangs behind the thefts are run like businesses, says Platt, with documentation and shipping lined up in advance. Popular destinations for stolen vehicles are Africa, Cyprus, Dubai, the Far East, Eastern Europe, Spain, the Middle East and Pakistan.

Dr German has the final word: “Last year £1.5 billion in criminal profit was generated by car theft in the UK. There’s a lot at stake for the criminals; they’re not going to let that kind of money go without a fight.”