Criminals, your numbers are up: number plate thefts down
Majority of police forces see fall in thefts between 2010 and 2014, figures show
Warwickshire Police sees 80% drop; neighbouring West Midlands Police 38% increase
The total number of reported thefts of vehicle number plates in England and Wales fell between 2010 and 2014, although a small number of forces bucked that trend and reported significant rises, new data seen by the RAC shows.
Twenty six of the 34 police forces that responded to a Freedom of Information request by the RAC recorded a fall in number plate thefts between 2010 and 2014, although results differ wildly between areas. Warwickshire Police is leading the way with an 80% reduction in thefts, from 404 reported in 2010 to just 82 in 2014. Cheshire Police (55% reduction) and Surrey Police (50%) recorded the second and third biggest reductions respectively.
However, the data also shows there remains a handful of forces that might be losing the battle against number plate theft. West Midlands Police saw a 38% rise in thefts, recording 4,543 instances in 2014 – which is 70% more occurrences than the next busiest force. Derbyshire Police meanwhile recorded a 34% increase (470 instances, up from 351), and North Yorkshire Police an 18% increase (104 instances, up from 88).
Number plates are stolen for a variety of reasons, and their theft can be an indicator of other criminal activities. Criminals will fix stolen plates to another car of the same make and model to make it appear genuine, and then effectively drive with impunity – ignoring speed cameras, parking and congestion charges, and leaving fuel forecourts without paying.
Overall, the highest number of reported thefts in 2014 were predictably in busy urban force areas – with West Midlands Police followed by Greater Manchester Police (2,629, a fall of 9.5% on 2010), Merseyside Police (1,322, a fall of 8.8%) and Thames Valley Police (1,291, a 46% reduction).
The RAC also asked police forces for details on car identity cloning – where fake number plates are made up and then fixed to stolen vehicles – but data was much less widely available: of the 34 forces, only six held figures meaning it is much harder to understand the true extent of this problem.
RAC head of external affairs Pete Williams said: “When it comes to number plate theft, this data paints a largely positive picture with some big reductions in crimes recorded across many police forces. The DVLA took action on the issue in 2003, requiring identity confirmation and proof of entitlement from the motorist getting plates made and it appears this has borne fruit.
“There are however some notable exceptions, with West Midlands Police in particular highlighting a worrying rise in the number of recorded thefts between 2010 and 2014, – while neighbouring force Warwickshire Police recorded the largest fall in thefts.
“Number plate theft is unlikely to happen in isolation, and goes hand-in-hand with other types of crime such as motor vehicle theft and burglary. So instances of number plates being stolen is probably symptomatic of a wider issue that police forces are no doubt well aware of.
“To reduce the chances of becoming a victim, motorists can take steps such as purchasing tamper-resistant number plates or screws, and parking their vehicle in as secure and well-lit location as possible. Sadly though, if a motorist is unlucky enough to get caught out, the onus will be on them to prove their innocence.
“The RAC is concerned that much less information appears to be being collected by forces on car identity cloning – where one vehicle’s identity, including number plate details, are transposed to another, likely stolen vehicle. There is very little an innocent motorist can do to stop this activity. We would like to see a commitment from forces to rigorously collect data on car cloning, so that we can all understand the scale of the problem.”
A National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) spokesman said: "The levels of vehicle crime, including theft from motor vehicles, have fallen by nearly three quarters since 1997.
“NaVCIS, UK police forces, the Home Office and vehicle component manufacturers have been working in partnership for some considerable time to prevent and detect such offences. Those efforts have clearly paid dividends and we will endeavour to build upon these successes.”
Full results from RAC’s Freedom of Information request
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
% change 2010 to 2014
West Midlands Police
3,300
2,836
2,855
4,443
4,543
+37.7%
Derbyshire Constabulary
351
523
514
392
470
+33.9%
North Yorkshire Police
88
118
104
95
104
+18.2%
South Yorkshire Police
920
1,068
1,090
892
1,037
+12.7%
Norfolk Constabulary
79
106
112
100
85
+7.6%
Cumbria Constabulary
46
74
43
60
49
+6.5%
Avon and Somerset
669
779
730
709
698
+4.3%
Dyfed-Powys Police
34
26
29
27
33
-2.9%
Kent Police
792
772
681
714
751
-5.2%
Bedfordshire Constabulary
696
699
682
641
649
-6.8%
Merseyside Police
1,449
1,358
1,291
1,316
1,322
-8.8%
Leicestershire Police
739
866
847
769
673
-8.9%
Essex Police
1,118
1,087
1,196
1,355
1,015
-9.2%
Greater Manchester Police
2,906
2,932
2,288
3,002
2,629
-9.5%
Northumbria Police
362
319
301
328
324
-10.5%
Staffordshire Police
450
477
489
377
399
-11.3%
West Mercia Police
468
559
390
396
410
-12.4%
Northamptonshire Police
319
314
395
421
279
-12.5%
Durham Constabulary
89
106
116
115
73
-18.0%
Nottinghamshire Police
506
548
562
488
414
-18.2%
Devon & Cornwall Police
329
374
350
287
252
-23.4%
Lancashire Constabulary
496
472
605
441
362
-27.0%
Cambridgeshire Constabulary
458
542
432
385
319
-30.3%
Police Service of Northern Ireland
473
419
364
330
323
-31.7%
Suffolk Constabulary
207
143
169
204
137
-33.8%
Hertfordshire Constabulary
1,057
945
916
842
684
-35.3%
Wiltshire Police
256
218
259
181
162
-36.7%
Sussex Police
700
559
598
503
434
-38.0%
North Wales Police
52
49
53
109
29
-44.2%
Thames Valley Police
2,370
2,195
1,844
1,573
1,291
-45.5%
Surrey Police
779
698
625
545
387
-50.3%
Cheshire Constabulary
705
453
351
369
318
-54.9%
Warwickshire Police
404
443
386
298
82
-79.7%
TOTAL
23,667
23,077
21,667
22,707
20,717
-12.5%
FOI data was either not provided, or could not be used for a regional comparison, by the following forces:
- Cleveland Police
- Dorset Police
- Gloucestershire Constabulary
- Gwent Police
- Hampshire Constabulary
- Humberside Police
- Lincolnshire Police
- Metropolitan Police
- Police Scotland
- South Wales Police
Data received from City of London Police has been excluded due to very low occurrences of number plate theft (4 in 2010; 7 in 2014).
