NaVCIS operation recovers 316 stolen vehicles
An operation by the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) recovered 316 stolen vehicles last week.
The operation was conducted at nine UK ports, resulting in 180 arrests being made.
Specialist motor insurance loss adjuster Claims Management & Adjusting (CMA), has praised the operation but urged greater carmaker-insurer-police data sharing to significantly reduce soaring UK vehicle crime.
Philip Swift, technical director at CMA, said: “Congratulations to NaVCIS on this hugely successful operation. It was particularly pleasing to see vehicle manufacturers getting credit for their security upgrades for once, instead of criticised for supposed vulnerabilities.
“The new NaVCIS statistic, that the number of stolen vehicles detected at UK ports increased by 29% in Q2 2024 is, however, extremely worrying. It is in line with everything we’re seeing – thefts up significantly, while recoveries are at an all-time low. That’s a grim combination. What’s more, of the smaller number that are recovered, a high percentage have serious damage. Often, they will have been targeted for valuable parts, such as catalytic converters or headlights – the emerging ‘eye-snatching’ trend.
“In response to the NaVCIS operation, it’s been widely suggested that car thieves are reverting to stealing keys rather than using keyless methods like scanners. But my question is, how would we know? Many constabularies no longer record the theft method.
“Yes, some cars are being stolen by security bypass, but it can also be a very convenient explanation, reminiscent of the old fishing rod through the letterbox story – no break-in but the car’s gone so the insurer should pay out. It leaves us questioning how many cars were genuinely stolen by these ‘key fishermen’ and, sadly, we see similarities with keyless theft claims today. Where’s the evidence?”
