Upsurge in vehicles stolen following robbery or burglary

More than 18,500 cars were stolen last year after the keys were taken by robbery or domestic burglary, prompting an appeal from AA Insurance to keep car keys safe from criminals.Over 50 people a day had cars stolen in this way, with numbers rising by 15 per cent in a year according to claims data from AA Car Insurance, which believes it shows thieves are becoming more sophisticated and violent in their methods.A Parliamentary answer given by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith suggested that last year over 15,700 cars disappeared because the keys were stolen during a burglary and a further 2,900 drivers were robbed to obtain keys by, for example, mugging, pickpocketing or carjacking. This represents 11 per cent of the 170,000 cars recorded as stolen during 2007/08 in the latest British Crime Survey published by the Home Office.An upsurge in vehicle theft causes particular concern for the contract hire and car leasing sector. Simon Douglas, director of AA Car Insurance, believes the statistics point to a worrying trend for upmarket cars to be stolen by more violent means. Many of the newest, upmarket vehicles make popular lease and fleet vehicles  and are not only the most desirable cars to steal but tend to have the most sophisticated anti theft technology meaning that the only weak link in the security chain is the car keys. Mr Douglas points out that modern cars are almost impossible to steal without the keys. "We are certainly seeing more claims where cars have been taken following a confrontation or where customers have found their car has disappeared off the drive and the keys have gone because their home was broken into."We believe many such cars are stolen to order and thieves may be waiting for the right opportunity to seize them."The figures quoted by the Home Secretary show that in England and Wales, London is the area where cars are most likely to be taken as a result of robbery or burglary, followed by West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.Simon Douglas adds: "The British Crime Survey also suggests that half of all cars stolen are over 10 years old – and these are the easiest cars to take because they aren't necessarily equipped with the security and anti-theft devices that come as standard on modern vehicles. Older cars may be used for carrying out other crimes or for joyriding and often end up wrecked or burned out. Fewer than 20 per cent of stolen cars are under five years old – and most of them can't be stolen without the keys."FleetDirectory.co.uk spoke to Detective Chief Inspector, Paul Lambotte is head of The Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS) about the threat posed by vehicle crime and what you can do to keep yourself safe. Read the full interview on FleetDirectory.co.uk.

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