Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team

The Government established the Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team (VCRAT) http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/vrcat1.htm to bring together all those with a contribution to make at a national level to meeting the Government’s target to reduce vehicle crime by 30% over five years.

The main message of the VCRAT report published in September 1999 was that the target was tough but achievable if all concerned played their part. The main elements of the VCRAT strategy are:

Improving new and used car security

• electronic immobilisers have been required by EU law on all new cars manufactured since October 1998.
• encourage manufacturers to fit deadlocks and laminated side and rear glazing;
• encourage retailers to sell cars with a security package consisting of an electronic immobiliser (or mechanical immobiliser if more appropriate) locking wheel nuts and window etching.

Improving car park security

The 1998 British Crime Survey http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hosb2198.pdf estimated that 22% of vehicle crime takes place in car parks.  BCS 2000 (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/bcs1.html) shows that the figure has lowered to 17% of incidents; but that 40% of daytime thefts occur in public car parks.

• The ACPO Secured Car Parks scheme has proved its effectiveness in reducing crime, with a sample showing average reductions of about 70%. There are currently over 700 Secured Car Parks.
• Funding of £153 million for CCTV has been made available over 3 years and a significant proportion will go towards improving car park security:
• So far 258 car park schemes with a capital value of over £45 million have been approved. These will deliver improved security in 659 car parks, of which 410 aim to achieve “Secured” status.

Improving procedures at the DVLA and better regulation of the salvage industry

• Improved vehicle registration procedures centre around raising the status of the Vehicle Registration Document (V5) so that it is better protected from fraud and contains more information of value to the consumer
• Requiring a Vehicle Identity Check before DVLA re-register a vehicle previously notified as written-off.
• Reducing the market for stolen vehicles will in turn, over time, reduce the amount of vehicle theft. Better regulation of the salvage industry will help stop cars being stolen for spare parts and to help combat “ringing”:
• existing voluntary Code of Practice between the insurance and salvage industries has been enhanced to make it harder for thieves to dispose of stolen vehicles.
• maximising the benefits of the enhanced Code of Practice requires it to be given statutory backing. A public consultation document was published on 27 April. This link also contains a copy of the voluntary Code of Practice (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/consult/salvage.htm).

Better enforcement

• improving information. The Criminal Justice and Court Services Bill, currently before Parliament, makes provision for information from DVLA’s driver records to be accessed through PNC on a 24 hour basis
• work is in progress to give police access on a 24 hour basis to computerised MOT records and to an insurance industry database of insured vehicles and drivers.

Raising levels of vehicle security awareness amongst motorists

Motorists need to help:

• generate a demand for better vehicle security by taking vehicle security more into account when making purchasing decisions
• generate a demand for more Secured Car Parks.
• change their behaviour and do simple things like locking their car and not leaving valuables in it; and buying and using appropriate security products.

The Government is planning to help raise awareness by running a major vehicle crime reduction communications campaign later this year. This will target motorists and show what they can do to prevent themselves becoming victims of crime.

Vehicle Security National Helpline (Thatcham) THATCHAM was created by the motor insurance industry in 1969 to help motor manufacturers to design easy repairability into new cars. It sets the criteria for the insurance industry's 20 Group premium rating system, which encourages manufacturers to develop cars worthy of low cost insurance. The Vehicle Security Helpline