West Midlands and Warwickshire among highest areas for car theft in England

The West Midlands and Warwickshire are ranked among the top 10 areas for car theft in England, new figures have found.

Research by Vehicle tracking company Tracker revealed that crime is at an all-time high.

The firm is warning that a shortfall in vehicle parts supply has hit the service, maintenance, and repair sector, creating a "lucrative opportunity" for professional car thieves.

Among the most stolen models are the:

• VW Golf

• Range Rover Sport

• Land Rover Discovery

• BMW 3 Series

While Range Rover and Land Rover models make up 42% of stolen cars, thieves are also targeting hybrid cars.

The top 10 regions for car theft in England are: London, West Midlands, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Essex, Kent, Lancashire, and Thames Valley, Merseyside, and Warwickshire.

Figures released also revealed that there was a 300% increase in the number of chop shop closures in 2022, compared to the previous 12 months.

Chop shops are places where stolen cars are sold and they are quickly stripped for parts.

Keyless car theft has also been found to be a considerable problem, standing at 93% of vehicles stolen, compared to 80% in 2017.

Head of police liaison at Tracker Clive Wain said: “An ongoing lack of parts for new car manufacturing – primarily microchips – has boosted demand in the second-hand car market and in turn, created an opportunity professional criminals have been quick to take advantage of. 

“A shortfall in vehicle parts supply has also hit the service, maintenance and repair sector, creating another lucrative opportunity for professional car thieves. 2022 saw a UK boom in ‘chop-shops' – buildings containing stolen vehicles to be stripped down for their expensive parts to be sold on the black market.  

"Police uncovered 32 illegal chop shops in 2022 as a result of us locating stolen vehicles belonging to our customers being hidden there.

"An investment in smart doorbells or a CCTV system are also increasingly popular amongst those keen to guard against unwanted visitors."