The variety of carjacking circumstances going down within the capital in recent times has been highlighted in a brand new report, with two incidents of aggravated automobile taking recorded in London on common per day.
There have been 2,663 situations within the metropolis, with Croydon having the very best quantity of circumstances – some 139 within the three-year interval – Metropolitan Police knowledge for 2019 to 2021 offered to insurer Direct Line exhibits.
A convicted automobile thief interviewed for the insurer’s research stated the amount of circumstances is right down to a ‘new generation of kids’ who ‘tend to not be bothered about using violence’ when stealing autos.
Does London have a carjacking disaster? Met Police knowledge exhibits there have been 2,663 circumstances of aggravated automobile taking within the capital between 2019 and 2021
Aggravated automobile taking refers to a automobile being taken, however the theft additionally concerned using harmful driving, or when there’s injury triggered to an individual, property, or the automobile itself throughout the course of.
Direct Line says London has seen 9 incidents for each 10,000 registered autos within the final three years.
Not all will probably be ‘car’ jackings, per se.
Many of those circumstances are prone to be bike thefts, with legal gangs arriving on scooters armed with bolt croppers and angle grinders in broad daylight to steal motorbikes, mopeds and scooters.
Croydon is the borough proven to have probably the most situations, accounting for 5 per cent (139 incidents) of the London complete and 67 per cent increased than capital common.
Enfield is second with 132 aggravated automobile takings between 2019 and 2021, adopted by Newham (128) and Brent (125).
The knowledge exhibits Kingston upon Thames (30), Kensington and Chelsea (40) and Richmond upon Thames (42) are the boroughs with the bottom circumstances of aggravated automobile theft within the three-year interval.
London borough | Total variety of aggravated automobile takings, 2019-2021 | Number of aggravated automobile takings per 10,000 autos |
---|---|---|
Croydon | 139 | 8.8 |
Enfield | 132 | 9.5 |
Newham | 128 | 16.2 |
Brent | 125 | 11.6 |
Lewisham | 120 | 14.1 |
Ealing | 110 | 8.2 |
Greenwich | 101 | 11.5 |
Tower Hamlets | 100 | 18.3 |
Lambeth | 100 | 13.9 |
Barnet | 100 | 6.5 |
All London boroughs | 2,663 | 8.9 |
Source: Direct Line Motor Insurance: Data offered by Metropolitan Police (excluding City of London) |
This is in accordance with Met Police figures, attained by Direct Line and the University of Huddersfield as a part of the ‘Truth about Car Theft’ marketing campaign launched earlier this yr.
This consists of analysis into motor-related crime, together with interviews with prolific automobile thieves to grasp their motives.
When requested in regards to the rise in violent automobile thefts within the capital, one automobile thief advised the college: ‘Here’s a brand new era of children popping out now the place, like I say, a few of them, they have an inclination to not be bothered about utilizing violence, to get a few of what they want.’
The penalties for these convicted of aggravated automobile taking can lead to a custodial jail sentence of as much as two years.
However, in incidents the place an accident happens leading to dying of one other individual the sentence might be for much longer.
Lorraine Price, head of motor insurance coverage at Direct Line, stated: ‘The research will raise questions as to whether the current penalties are sufficient and if more can be done to protect innocent motorists.
‘Our work with the University of Huddersfield aims to learn from the car thieves themselves, to help understand their motivation and what measures are needed to reduce this illegal activity.’
The conclusion of the marketing campaign is that motorists ought to take motion to guard their autos.
Professor Rachel Armitage, Professor of Criminology, explains: ‘While conducting our research we were able to gain invaluable insight into deterrents for car criminals.
‘We would encourage all car owners to take measures to keep their vehicle safe and not assume their area is off limits.
‘Simple acts such as not leaving valuables in your car, taking car keys to bed, and folding in wing mirrors could all help make a car look less attractive to criminals.’
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