Vehicle-related crime covers a wide spectrum of activity, including crimes specific to driving, car ownership and theft from vehicles. This project focused specifically on the theft of vehicles and the issues related to it.
Read on to find out about:
Background
Last year, the Crime in England and Wales: Quarterly Update (to September 2010) showed that 'offences against vehicles’ went down by 14%. While this is good news, and highlights the huge advances by car manufacturers in developing vehicle security technology, these figures do not necessarily tell the whole story. Although the mandatory introduction of immobilisers in 1997 reduced the number of stolen cars, it remains the case that, on average, one vehicle is stolen every four minutes.
Of growing concern to the Home Office is the method criminals often use to steal these vehicles: obtaining the key by breaking into a house and stealing the key rather than breaking into the car and overcoming the immobiliser.
A design-led approach
The Design Out Crime project aimed to look systematically at the problem of vehicle theft via car key burglary and identify issues – beyond the design of the vehicle itself – that were allowing opportunities for criminals to steal, change the identity and offload stolen vehicles for monetary reward.
As the project progressed it became clear that making car key burglary the sole focus was not going to address the wider problem of vehicle theft. As a result, the project also examined how this crime could be made less appealing to offenders and how a design-led approach could reduce the opportunities for vehicle theft.
Offender methods
Offender methods and the type of offender involved in vehicle theft has changed significantly in the last 10 years. From a time when cars could be broken into easily by opportunist thieves, used and then abandoned, the increasing sophistication of the offender, the methods used to obtain and disguise vehicles and the motivations for stealing them, makes it ever more difficult for routine policing to effectively counteract this complex crime.
Research done by the Design Out Crime team showed there were three key things that offenders did when stealing cars.
- The first, ‘steal’, has been largely addressed by manufacturers through significant improvements to vehicle security.
- The second, ‘change identity’ describes the methods criminals use to disguise the stolen vehicle once it has been taken.
- The third and final step is to ‘offload’ the vehicle, with offenders realising their profit by exporting, selling on to unsuspecting members of the public and breaking up the vehicle for parts.
Opportunities to prevent vehicle theft include addressing not only the way in which offenders steal the vehicle itself, but by counteracting the ways in which they are able to change the vehicle’s identity and sell it on for profit.
Conclusion
A complex picture
You can download a full report that illustrates how the Design Out Crime project has identified four priority areas that need addressing in order to counter the challenges vehicle crime presents.
A design-led approach could provide a way to address these tough problems. Focused, design-led interventions such as redesigning number plates or the vehicle registration document could have significant impact on the number of vehicle thefts, and reduce the impact on the victims.
Priorities, recommendations and ideas for action
Closing clone loopholes
Recommendation: Preventing exploitation of the V5 and V62
Offenders abuse the V62 form in order to obtain a new logbook (or V5) for a vehicle. This stolen identity is then used to facilitate vehicle cloning. This set the challenge of how to make the V5 more secure and difficult to obtain, generating the following two concepts:
Concept: V5 Overhaul
The V5 has been unchanged since cars were first developed. Paper documents are not valued by the public and create an opportunity for cloning and theft. Central registration should hold an accurate electronic record of identity and legal title holder (use home purchase for reference). There should be a legal requirement to record ownership at purchase/transfer/ export etc. This data could potentially feed into a wider vehicle passport-type database. This would require legislative change, with central government agencies and the DVLA working together.
Concept: V62 proof of identity
The DVLA would ask for proof of identity (e.g. passport number, driving licence number) and a traceable method of payment when filling out a V62 application.
Recommendation: Tackle number plate abuse
Number plates are easy to remove and swap, enabling stolen vehicles to be quickly disguised. This set the challenge of how to redesign the number plate to reduce abuse of the system by criminals. The following concept was suggested:
Concept:DVLA
The DVLA would centrally issue all number plates directly to the public. This would enable them to check their records to ensure each number plate is issued to the correct owner. It could be self funding or even revenue generating. This would provide the police with the ability to check who a number plate has been issued to on point of contact and would reduce the issue with show plates. This would need to be a cross DVLA and Home Office initiative.
Recommendation: Include ‘traders’ on DVLA records
If a car is in-trade, it has no registered keeper on the DVLA record. Criminals target in-trade cars and then abuse the DVLA system to fraudulently obtain a V5. This set the challenge of how to adjust DVLA systems to show the ‘traders’ on the DVLA record, generating the following idea:
Concept: Tracking trade
Requires traders to log information in the system when taking in a vehicle. No impact on consumer.
Raise the profile of vehicle theft and its consequences
Recommendation: Develop a UK-wide method of recording crime events
Organised criminal gang activities are increasingly sophisticated, so it is difficult to get an accurate picture of vehicle theft and offender methods. Vehicle theft can be recorded in different ways, as a burglary, deception or fraud for example. This set the challenge of finding new ways of recording vehicle theft so as to present a more accurate picture of the scale and type of issues it involves. The following concept was put forward:
Concept: Consistent crime recording
Ensure that a vehicle theft is recorded as such and flagged to the FIB’s in each force. All UK forces would need to take part, which would require training and researchers and analysts to examine the records.
Recommendation: Incentivise more effective policing
Statistics show ‘offences against vehicles’ down by 14% but the theft of a car key from a home is recorded as a burglary, not a vehicle crime. The huge improvements in addressing the levels of vehicle offences then become overshadowed by the methods of recording the different types of crime. This has led to vehicle theft no longer being seen as a priority for police. This set the challenge of how the value of stolen vehicles could be released to incentivise the policing of vehicle theft, which generated the following three ideas:
Concept: InsurerPol
Central hub with the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) providing analytical work. Steering and tasking groups would be needed as would at least three police tactical response units in London, Birmingham and Manchester. Insurers would refer suspicious claims such as theft, fraud, ‘crash for cash’, household. The IFB would complete the analytical work and this would be submitted for tasking to police enforcement. Cost benefit is around £7m, £900m ‘crash for cash’ undetected and £12-15m exported. Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) collect levy to fund (£1 per XXX). Insurers pool data via IFB. Tasking to police/action by regional teams and ports teams.
Concept: Civil recovery
Recovered vehicles would be auctioned off and the proceeds given to the police force and local authority. Local enforcement officers have access to Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and Police National Computer (PNC). POCA used to recover value of car (but may require legislation to implement). Would involve local authorities, PNC and the insurance industry
Concept: Proceeds of crime
It could become an automatic result of seizure. Police/UKBA/Insurers and manufacturers could divide the proceeds as appropriate.
Recommendation: Develop new approaches to policing vehicle theft
Vehicle theft has become a more expert issue as organised criminal gangs have become more sophisticated. It is difficult for the police officer on the street to know what to look for in identifying clones and checking vehicles. At the same time, the number of expert police investigators and vehicle crime squads has reduced due to the improvement in vehicle theft figures. This set the challenge of how the police can be further enabled to counteract vehicle crime and deter potential offenders, which generated the following idea:
Concept: Robust policing
Highlight the broader impact of vehicle crime; it is much more than just a matter of a stolen car. Would need to involve police, Home Office and industry.
A joined up approach – connecting systems and organisations to work smarter against vehicle theft
Recommendation: Integrate more vehicle crime intelligence into the DVLA system
The DVLA is required to process huge numbers of documents quickly and efficiently for customers. It is not set up to systemically spot vehicle crime. There are good links established between the DVLA and the police, but on a relatively small scale. The DVLA system is also paper based making it easier for savvy thieves to exploit. This set the challenge of finding ways in which the DVLA can systematically counteract vehicle crime. The following concept was suggested:
Concept: DVLA plus
This approach would apply to all other processes in terms of efficiency and speed. Through commitment from the DVLA and other stakeholders who already see the benefits.
Recommendation: Increase cross-agency data sharing to improve the identification of stolen vehicles
The lack of systems integration across the DVLA, insurance companies, servicing organisations and Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), prevents cloned and stolen vehicles from potentially being identified. Individual systems are not set up to spot or flag vehicle crime, leading to opportunities for offenders to profit from theft. This set the challenge of how to connect vehicle data, making it accessible for agencies and consumers. The following idea was suggested:
Concept: Vehicle passport
Police, manufacturers, VOSA, insurers service points, DVLA, Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA), SMMT, commercial data providers such as HPI and Experian would all feed into an administrative body that would create a web interface accessible to consumers, police, industry members, and government bodies. All major vehicle events are centrally recorded. A single web interface provides the ability for consumers, insurers and law enforcement to access all currently available information for a vehicle. Drastically decreases the information that needs to be replicated.
Recommendation: More effective use of existing touchpoints to spot stolen vehicles
Throughout their lifetime, vehicles encounter a number of touchpoints at various public and private sector organisations, including sales channels, servicing, the MOT and insurance companies, to name but a few. This set the challenge of how these existing vehicle touchpoints might be used to counteract vehicle theft. The following idea was suggested:
Concept: MOT identity check
These additional checks would be added to the MOT, systematising a way for data to be checked against DVLA and police records to confirm the identity of the vehicle and its owner.
Strengthen border procedures to prevent stolen imports and exports
Recommendation: Strengthen export legislation
UK export legislation, unlike its import processes, is relatively weak in comparison with countries such as the US and Canada. There are multiple ways to export vehicles and a high volume of legitimate exports make it extremely difficult for police. This set the challenge of how export and freight forwarding processes might be tightened to reduce illegal exports. The following idea was suggested:
Concept: Mandatory export legislation
A container cannot be shipped unless all the requirements are completed. It would require collaboration between the UKBA, DVLA and police to target containers at ports. It would give the police more time to target and search containers.
Recommendation: Improve identifications of stolen imports
Vehicles stolen abroad are imported into the UK with false foreign plates and false paperwork. This set the challenge of how a vehicle's history might be checked or how a physical check of imported vehicles might be made before registering. The following idea was suggested:
Concept: IMPORTant
EUropean CAR and driving licence Information System (EUCARIS) checks for all imports regardless of vehicle's country of origin. This process would need to involve all European Economic Area (EEA) registration authorities.
Recommendation: Greater collaboration between UKBA and police
Vehicles stolen abroad are imported into the UK with false foreign plates and false paperwork. This set the challenge of how systemic UKBA and police collaboration can tackle the illegal export of stolen vehicles. The following idea was suggested:
Concept: Multi-agency joint working
Current experience shows that collaboration between UKBA and the Police enables the accurate targeting, profiling and searching of containers to prevent vehicle exports. In order to do this on a larger scale, the UKBA and Police priorities and policies would need to be amended to make this a priority activity.
Recommendation: Develop more ways to fund port policing
The high volume of exports makes the export of stolen vehicles and parts very difficult to police effectively. This sets the challenge of how increased policing at ports to prevent the illegal export of stolen vehicles might be funded. The following idea was suggested:
Concept: Operation Stairway - insurers fund port policing
The police would be supported by insurers to police ports at Felixstowe, Liverpool, Hull, Tilbury, Dover and Southampton.