Warning to drivers as thieves rob cars in the UK region and why Ford Fiesta owners could be targeted

Residents of a large region in the UK have been warned of an increase in thieves robbing cars for parts.

According to the head of West Midlands Police’s Vehicle Crime Taskforce (VCT), Detective Superintendent Jim Munroe, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and pandemic-related supply problems have meant criminals are capitalizing on the rising demand for components.

Neighborhoods in the city of Birmingham have become a target for brazen thieves removing parts from vehicles, and people parked at train stations or park and rides in the Midlands have also been attacked.

And according to data released this year, Britain’s most-owned car is also its most-stolen – with Ford Fiesta thefts up 53 per cent in 2022.

Mr Munroe said there had been an increase in vehicle crime over the last 12 to 24 months, particularly the widespread theft of motor vehicles.

He went on to say that he believes this was due to a parts shortage, post-Covid supply chain issues and the Ukraine war.

 

Residents living in Pope Street’s apartment buildings, The Kettleworks and Albion House, regularly find their vehicles decimated

 

Local residents fear car crime is “on the rise again” in Birmingham’s Jewelery Quarter after their cars were routinely shredded and broken into

 

An estimated £14million worth of vehicles and parts were recovered as part of Essex’s Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit (SVIU) in 2022. Many of the cars were “stolen to order” and intended for sale abroad at inflated prices

 

The Ford Fiesta was the most stolen car in Britain last year. It’s the most common model on the road, but data shows thefts are up a staggering 53% year-over-year

This increase in car crime, according to Mr. Munroe, was caused by the growing demand for spare parts.

Factory closures around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic have left countries like the UK with shortages of semiconductor chips and other components.

And the specialist vehicle crime taskforce at West Midlands Police has said it has “made over 100 arrests and recovered dozens of stolen vehicles” since it started in September.

In a statement, they said: “In January we received nine reports of cars having parts removed in city center car parks, with most happening in Digbeth.

“Patrols have been stepped up in problem areas and we are working closely with partner organizations to ensure car parks are safe and secure.

“We regularly check video surveillance in Digbeth and other parts of the city center to gather information on suspects and cars believed to be involved in car dismantling and car parts theft.”

Police further added: “Several arrests have been made in recent months, including the arrest of a 20-year-old man who has been arrested and charged with conspiracy to 11 counts of motor vehicle theft.

“We do not underestimate the impact this crime is having on people’s lives and are working hard to bring these perpetrators to justice. We know the tremendous detriment of vehicle crime to your livelihood and personal life, which is why we are determined to take this action.

“With the support of the public, we can continue to fight car crime and sell car thieves that serve as a market for car thieves.”

Vandalized victims of vehicles including Citroens, Toyotas and Peugeots have had hundreds of pounds out of their pockets after they found their cars vandalized and naked.

Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) show that in 2022 5,979 Fiestas were reported stolen, compared to 3,909 in 2021. That means a criminal gets away with one every 88 minutes on average.

With 1.5 million Fiestas registered on the road, experts have warned they could be at greater risk after Ford announced last year it would stop making them.

This could cause the cost of Fiesta parts to increase.

This follows CCTV footage released this month showing brazen thieves using a transmitter to unlock Ford Fiestas at train stations.

These new figures also suggest that thieves continue to target high-end engines and family cars.

And motorists in the region who don’t want to be affected are now being urged to focus on where they park their vehicles.

Although a prevailing pattern has been discovered in the West Midlands region, parts theft is increasing across the UK.

Some 88,915 thefts of a vehicle in the 12 months ended March 7, 2022 were recorded by the 34 police forces, which provided full figures in response to freedom of information requests from the PA news agency.

 

A car owner struggled to identify his own car after thieves removed his exterior in the middle of the night – he was heartbroken to discover his Peugeot 208 had been attacked by thugs in Harborne

 

Members of a Birmingham gang have been jailed for running one of the country’s biggest car chop shop rackets – after West Midlands Police linked them to more than 100 stolen vehicles worth well over £1million

Data released last year also showed that six police precincts saw an increase in car thefts compared to the same period two years earlier.

These were South Yorkshire (up 28%), City of London (up 25%), West Midlands (up 19%), Surrey (up 12%), Merseyside (up 4%) and Greater Manchester (up 1%).

And this year isn’t looking any better as reports of car shredding and dismantling have increased.

Recent car crime across the UK has seen victims pay thousands to have their vehicles repaired after finding their bonnets and headlights ripped off or windows smashed.

A number of chop shops – places where stolen vehicles are dismantled – have recently been uncovered and taken out of service.

This month police discovered a stolen vehicle at Retford Business Park, Lincolnshire.

Three men have been charged after police officers raided the park and found a number of dismantled vans and vehicle parts suspected of being stolen.

Also in March, two thieves were jailed for stealing 59 Ford Fiestas worth more than £366,000 in just five months.

Kaine Guest-Scott, 22, and Theon Lynch, 21, targeted locations where commuters often leave their vehicles on their way to work.

The brazen thieves used transmitters to unlock cars registered between 2012 and 2017 without raising an alarm.

The criminals then pried open steering locks with angle grinders and reprogrammed blank keys before fleeing the various scenes.

At Birmingham Crown Court, Guest-Scott was sentenced to four years in prison while Lynch will serve three years and a month.