Where are the UK’s car theft hotspots?

Although motor thefts decreased by 6% in 2024, the 61,343 cars reported stolen to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) last year marked the third-highest annual total in the past decade, more than twice the number recorded in 2015.

Analysis of the data from This is Money and MailOnline highlighted East London as the worst affected area in the UK.

Top 10 car theft hotspots in the UK (total)

1. London - 8,145
2. Birmingham - 3,220
3. Manchester - 912
4. Leeds - 901
5. Sheffield - 899
6. Coventry - 862
7. Wolverhampton - 616
8. Leicester - 533
9. Walsall - 521
10. Bristol - 506

Top 10 car theft hotspots in the UK (thefts per 100,000 registered cars)

1. Barking - 648
2. Hayes - 569
3. Birmingham - 557
4. Thornton Heath - 539
5. Dagenham - 538
6. London - 533
7. Enfield - 527
8. Ilford - 526
9. Smethwick - 514
10. Beckenham - 505

The motor theft rates for each postal town are determined by the number of thefts per 100,000 registered cars in the area.

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What tactics are thieves using to steal vehicles?

Here are a few examples of how criminals are stealing cars across the UK.

Key cloning

This is when a thief creates a copy of a car's key fob or key to gain access to the vehicle. This technique is particularly common with modern cars that use keyless entry and push-to-start systems, which communicate with the car through radio signals.

Relay attacks

A car relay attack is a type of vehicle theft tactic where criminals use electronic devices to amplify and relay signals from a car's key fob (the remote control that unlocks or starts the vehicle) to a nearby vehicle, allowing them to unlock or start the car without actually having the key fob in hand.

Key signal blocking

Signal blocking works by interfering with the communication between your key fob and the car, so that the signal cannot be intercepted, relayed, or amplified by criminals trying to steal your vehicle. This requires the thief to wait to use a signal jammer to avoid the owner from locking the vehicle. They then get easy access to the vehicle.

What do you make of the statistics? And what can be done to curb this growth in car crime? Leave your comments below.