Newly published crime data has revealed that the rate of vehicle theft in Northern Ireland approached a 10-year low during lockdown, with the province now having the second-lowest vehicle crime rate in the UK.
According to the new figures from UK CrimeStats, using the latest data gathered by the Economic Policy Centre, Northern Ireland saw just 2,800 vehicle crimes reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) between August 2019 and July 2020.
The highest reported months were in the build up to Christmas, with 296 in November and 284 in December. By contrast, the earliest months of the lockdown saw much lower incidents of vehicle theft, with 203 reported in April, 191 in May and 181 in June.
Vehicle theft across the UK also dropped to a 10-year low during the height of spring’s lockdown according to the same dataset. Monthly vehicle thefts across the UK peaked at 38,800 in January, but this nearly halved to 21,560 thefts in April and 21,550 in May. While June (23,260) and July (25,890) recorded a slight rise in vehicle theft, the figures remain firmly below last year’s monthly UK average of 33,370. The data, which goes back to December 2010, has not recorded a lower monthly number of vehicle thefts than July 2020.
The lowest number of vehicle thefts, from August 2019 to July 2020, were recorded by the City of London Police (208), followed by Northern Ireland (2,800), with London’s Metropolitan Police Service (112,357), the West Midlands (28,290) and West Yorkshire forces (18,651) recording the highest rates for the same period.
The data was compiled by UK CrimeStats, a leading crime data research and analysis platform, and covers crimes reported to over 40 police forces throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Vehicle theft refers to either taking items from a vehicle or stealing the vehicle itself.
Responding to the data, Greg Wilson, founder of CompareNI.com, comments: “It’s not surprising that the rate of vehicle crime fell given lockdown measures and the reduced number of cars on the road. But it is incredibly positive to see the figures stay below average and for Northern Ireland to be identified as the region with the second lowest vehicle crime rate in the UK.
“However, the spike in incidents around Christmas time is quite alarming and something we should be cautious of as the festive period draws near. This rise could be due to the increased volume of cars parked in inner cities as motorists shop or enjoy festive nights out – with valuable goods and presents left in cars. Whatever the reason, it’s clear drivers need to be particularly vigilant as the dark winter evenings approach.
“For those people who do find themselves victims of car crime, it is important to call the police and your insurers as quickly as possible, don’t touch anything at the scene and take photos if you can – many households now have CCTV which can be incredibly useful if your car is stolen from home.
“With lockdown measures still in place your car may be spending more time at home than ever before so make sure callers to your house have ID – legitimate callers won’t mind you double checking. Keep valuables out of sight and if you have an outside light it’s helpful if it’s on motion sensor.”
CompareNI.com, compares over 80 UK car insurance providers to help customers get a competitive price and a policy that suits them best.
