Car makers ‘named and shamed’ as PCC highlights security flaws
Car manufacturers have been ranked by the number of vehicles they had stolen in a police and crime commissioner’s (PCC’s) ongoing battle against thefts.
A total of 1,070 Ford vehicles were stolen in the West Midlands in the first six months of this year, an almost fivefold increase on the same period in 2015.
Thieves also demonstrated a growing fondness for Land Rovers as 174 were stolen compared with just 40 three years ago.
The figures, published by West Midlands PCC David Jamieson, are an attempt to “name and shame” manufacturers and encourage them to step up their security measures.
The overall number of vehicles stolen across the region almost tripled between 2015 and 2018.
Mr Jamieson claims the growing use of keyless technology is at least partially to blame for the increase.
He said: “I have been saying for a long time now that manufacturers have taken their eye off the ball when it comes to vehicle security.
“As keyless technology has grown in popularity more and more cars have vanished from driveways as their owners’ sleep. Some vehicles are being stolen by criminals in less than a minute.
“Now it is time for consumers to see for themselves how secure the cars they are buying really are. That is why I have chosen to name and shame car manufacturers in this way and I will continue to do so until they improve security and help reduce thefts.”
Just 1,210 vehicle thefts were reported to West Midlands Police in the first half of 2015, rising to 3,420 in the same period this year.
However, some manufacturers, such as Ford and Land Rover, experienced much larger increases, at 481 per cent and 335 per cent respectively.
The number of Fiats stolen also rose by 323 per cent.
However, Audi had the most vehicles stolen as a proportion of the number registered in the area, closely followed by BMW.
Mr Jamieson claims keyless cars are increasingly being targeted by organised gangs who are taking advantage of weaknesses in their security systems.
He added that stolen vehicles are often shipped abroad for sale or scrapped for parts.
In April, the PCC met with representatives from BMW, Honda, Ford, Nissan, Audi and Jaguar Land Rover to demand more be done to protect cars from thefts, but other manufacturers declined to attend.
Mr Jamieson plans to publish further data on stolen vehicles in the region every six months going forward.