UK car crime hotspots revealed

Motor safety experts at Road Angel have crunched the numbers to reveal which counties have the highest rate of vehicle crime.

The West Midlands has been named the least safe area to own a vehicle, with an average of 12.64 vehicles targeted by criminals per 1,000 residents.

Despite some London boroughs having the highest vehicle crime rate, as a whole London has the second highest rate of vehicle crime averaging 11.87 per 1000 residents.

Bristol closely follows London with a rate of 10.72, ranking third in the UK for vehicle crime, while South Yorkshire takes the fourth spot with 8.52.

Bedfordshire, Warwickshire and South Glamorgan in Wales also rank highly, all with vehicle crime rates above 7.

Gary Digva, the founder of Road Angel, said:

“The data shows that the West Midlands is a hotspot for criminals praying on vehicles, so those who reside there or plan to visit with their cars, vans or motorbikes should take precautions to keep them safe. Always ensure that windows are up, the doors are locked, and your keys are safe and secure. Investing in dashcams is also a good idea, especially models with the “parking mode” feature, which can monitor vehicles while stationary through sensors that start recording if they detect a disturbance automatically, and 24 hours a day.”

During 2022, England and Wales’s police forces received 368,042 reports of vehicle crime, which includes the theft of a vehicle, theft from a vehicle, or damage to a car. This is up from 319,193 reports in 2021.

For information about keeping vehicles safe, visit: www.roadangelgroup.com/