Car crisis ‘fuels rise in thefts’, police say
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Thieves are stripping cars “in a matter of hours” so they can sell the components for high prices, one senior officer said. Superintendent Jim Munro, of West Midlands Police, advised
motorists that vehicles left in car parks for only a few minutes are still not safe. Some 88,915 car thefts were recorded in the 12 months to March 7, meaning 244 were stolen every day. Mr
Munro said: “What we’ve seen over the pandemic is there are some issues around parts supplies coming into the motor industry and delays with builds. “There is a desire for certain vehicle
parts, and this is fuelling the theft of motor vehicles. “Vehicles are stolen, sometimes taken to nearby industrial units, and these vehicles have been stripped in a matter of hours. The
parts are then being sold on.”