New data from the UK Home Office has revealed that only 2.12 per cent of vehicle thefts result in criminal charges.
The data was acquired by a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the camera manufacturer Nextbase, and covers England and Wales for the period between June 2022 and June 2023.
It shows that, while there is some difference in the rate of vehicle thefts being charged across different areas of England and Wales, no regions have a particularly high rate of convictions being brought to the perpetrators of vehicle thefts.
The highest belongs to London, but even there the rate is only 9.38 per cent. At the other end of the scale, the lowest rate was for Warwickshire at 0.94 per cent.
Throughout the 12-month period the data covered, the highest conviction rate in one month was in August 2022 at 2.88 per cent, while the lowest was in May 2023 at 1.21 per cent.
In total, 104,678 vehicles were reported as stolen between June 2022 and June 2023, but only 2,215 individuals were caught and convicted during that period, meaning that only 2.12 per cent of vehicle thefts in England and Wales resulted in a criminal charge being brought against the thief.
Bryn Brooker, Head of Road Safety at Nextbase, said: “Criminals would not be stealing this many cars if they had a higher chance of getting prosecuted.
“Police do what they can but are stretched and need your help.”
Find all the latest motorcycle news on Visordown.
