Car thefts surge with just 0.6% ever solved
Car thefts have risen 50% in six years, with a staggering 99.4% remaining unsolved.
According to data released by the Office of National Statistics, more than 300 cars are stolen in Britain every day, with 106,291 being taken last year alone.
But even this might be an underestimate: the figures only include England and Wales while data from Greater Manchester Police has not been available.
The ONS also found that only 666 car thieves were found guilty last year, with less than half of this number – 243 – facing jail time.
This surge in car thefts, which has been driven in part by keyless thefts, saw insurers pay out £413m in claims for stolen cars in 2019 compared to £376m in 2018.
