Motor Vehicles: Romford

(asked on 1st February 2024) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he has taken to help reduce automobile theft in (a) the UK and (b) Romford constituency.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 8th February 2024

The Government is committed to tackling theft of and from vehicles. The Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that neighbourhood crime is down 48% in the year ending September 2023 when compared to the year ending March 2010.

We are working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by ACC Jennifer Sims, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, to take forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce vehicle crime nationally. This includes training police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to prevent theft. The Metropolitan Police Service is represented on the Working Group.

A network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales, ensuring forces share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and are better able to tackle regional issues.

We are legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to create two new offences where a person possesses, makes, adapts, supplies or offers to supply electronic devices where there are reasonable grounds to suspect they will be used in vehicle theft. The legislation will make it easier for police to prosecute criminals making and supplying these devices, as well as vehicle thieves.

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