October - UK Crime Hotspots

UK's car crime hotspots revealed

A report published by Moneysupermarket has revealed the UK's car crime hotspots.

Motorists living in Chislehurst, south-east London are the worst-hit. Some 3.82% of car owners there told the report that they had claimed for theft of a car - or its contents. This figure is more than three times the national average of 1.17%.

Second place in the study went to Wingate, Cleveland where 3.72% of car owners had made a claim in the last 12 months. Also badly affected was Redbridge, east London. The top 5 hot spots were completed by Hatfield and Manchester city centre. The remainder of the top ten was predominantly made up of urban areas such as Bradford, Sheffield and Newport.

The report also shows that it wasn't just city centres that were suffering from car crime. The top 20 car crime hotspots also included a broad mix of locations including Wells-Next-the-Sea in Norfolk, highlighting that it doesn't matter where you live when it comes to car crime.

Home Office Statistics show that vehicle crime is a major problem in the UK, accounting for 13% of all recorded crime in England and Wales in 2007-08. The good news is that vehicle crime has dropped by more than 66% since it peaked in 1995 with rates dropping by 11% in 2007-08 over the previous year.

According to the Home Office, most vehicle crime is opportunistic and therefore preventable. By following some straightforward advice like fitting security equipment on cars and keeping valuables hidden, motorists can ensure that this type of crime keeps falling.