Almost 9,000 vehicles across the UK were stolen in just 36 days at the beginning of 2011, equating to one stolen every six minutes. So reports the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS).
The statistics have been released ahead of AVCISโ Car Crime Awareness Week, on June 13 to 19, 2011. The initiative aims to raise the publicโs awareness of vehicle crime methods, to drive down offences. <br><br>This new data illustrates that half of thefts were made when a vehicle was left at the ownerโs home address or close by, including 17.6 per cent through the burglary of properties to obtain car keys.<br><br>A third were stolen when vehicles were away from the home and four per cent of crimes during the 36 day sample were made by opportunist thieves, where keys were left in or within easy reach of the vehicle. This would mean that annually 3,400 thefts could be easily prevented through heightened awareness, say police.<br><br>โThese figures demonstrate that vehicle crime continues to be an issue across the UK,โ said Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hooper, Head of AVCIS. โCriminals will use a variety of means to steal cars, from towing them away or simply driving them off when owners leave the keys in the ignition to burgling houses and sophisticated attacks on manufacturersโ security systems.<br><br>โOur aim is to increase general awareness, including encouraging motorists to take simple precautions and advise manufacturers of criminalsโ methods so they can continue to help drive down vehicle crime.<br> <br>In the lead up and during Car Crime Awareness Week AVCIS will release information on the state of vehicle crime relating to freight vehicles, agricultural equipment, caravans and motorhomes, as well as to the general motorist.<br><br>For more information on vehicle crime and AVCIS visit www.avcis.police.uk or the Car Crime Awareness Week Facebook page www.facebook.com/CarCrimeAwarenessWeek.
It is admitted that ‘traditional’ vehicle crime, such as theft of or from vehicles is no longer regarded as a policing priority by most forces. Therefore, under the guidance of the Association of Police Officers (ACPO) portfolio lead for Vehicle Crime matters, the ACPO Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS) was launched in December 2006 and is based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire within the NIPA (National Policing Improvements Agency) site. The unit was initially funded by the Home Office, through the ACPO Acquisitive Crime Board and answers to Deputy Chief Constable David Ainsworth, of Wiltshire.
AVCIS does not exist in isolation, but operates within a complex and dynamic environment where national priorities are changing and high-level strategies require constant interpretation and reinterpretation. AVCIS works with partner agencies and all stakeholders within the trade and associated businesses to provide the most effective response. AVCIS speaks for the UK policing in respect of vehicle enabled crime matters.
AVCIS incorporates a number of specialist functions including TruckPol, the national freight crime intelligence service, and the Vehicle Fraud Unit who investigate organised finance fraud.
