Rise in vehicle thefts in West Midlands

Figures released this week show there were 5,930 vehicle thefts in 2016.

This was up from 4,161 in 2013.

Only in London were there more vehicle thefts - 26,496 in 2016.

West Yorkshire Police recorded 5,597 vehicle thefts.

The figures come after Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson called for 'tough police action' to reduce the number of vehicle thefts.

He has also written to leading manufacturers urging them to improve security measures to make their vehicles more difficult to steal.

A rise in thefts of Ford Transit vans in the West Midlands was also revealed this month.

Data disclosed by the Freedom of Information request showed a total of 1,595 Ford Transit vans were stolen from their owners between 2014 and this August.

West Midlands Police has defended the latest vehicle theft figures, saying many of the offences are actually thefts from vehicles.

And the force has said a quarter of the vehicle thefts are down to drivings leaving their cars and vans unlocked.

West Midlands Police Superintendent Andy Beard, said: “We will always carry out proportionate investigations and in cases where there is evidence or clear lines of enquiry they will be followed up by investigators.

“Many vehicle crime offences are ‘thefts from vehicles’ − a large proportion of these will occur overnight when there are limited evidential opportunities.

"It’s also estimated that a quarter of all such thefts are as a result of drivers leaving their vehicles insecure so thousands of offences a year could be prevented by people taking simple car security measures like locking doors and removing any temptations for thieves like valuables on show."

He added: “West Midlands Police employ various proactive tactics to catch vehicle crime offenders, including deploying capture cars across the region which are fitted with hidden CCTV cameras, microphones and silent alarms which alert police officers to an intruder."

RAC insurance director Mark Godfrey said that before the new figures, there had been a fall in vehicle thefts since around 2002.

He said: "We fear thieves are now becoming more and more well equipped with technology capable of defeating car manufacturers' anti-theft systems."

Last week, at a meeting of West Midlands Police Strategic Crime Board, Mr Jamieson said: "The rise in vehicle thefts is concerning, it shows that crime is rising not falling as the Government insists.

"I have been raising this issue with West Midlands Police to ensure a more robust response and I raised it with the Policing Minister last week too."