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Ministers are facing urgent calls to set up a dedicated Police unit to tackle car theft across the country, as new figures reveal more than three-quarters of cases went unsolved last year.
A staggering 121,825 motor vehicle thefts were reported in England and Wales in the 2024-25 financial year, analysis by the House of Commons Library shows.
Of these, approximately 92,958 investigations were closed without a single suspect being identified, bringing the average national unsolved rate to 76.3 percent.
metropolitan police The proportion of unsolved cases was the highest ever recorded, with 88.5 per cent of car thefts in the capital unsolved.
Other forces struggling significantly included British Transport Police (84.4 per cent), South Yorkshire (82.6 per cent), City of London (81.5 per cent), Sussex (81.1 per cent), and Warwickshire (80.7 per cent).
Analysis conducted by the Liberal Democrats found that more than 60 per cent of car theft investigations by 35 out of 44 forces in England and Wales ended without an identified suspect.
In response to these shocking figures, the Liberal Democrats are advocating the creation of a specialist team within the National Crime Agency.
The unit will leverage data from automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, insurance records, police intelligence and border control to specifically target organized car crime networks.
Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson said: “Repeatedly victims of crime are left without the support they need, it is a disgrace and communities deserve much better.
“The previous Conservative government betrayed our communities by making years of self-defeating cuts to our police forces – and now the current Labor government must not turn a blind eye to this pandemic. Enough is enough.
“That’s why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a crackdown on car theft, to finally catch the organized gangs and criminals who have been getting away with it for too long.”
However, the Home Office highlighted a 12 per cent reduction in vehicle crime and a 7 per cent decline in vehicle theft by June 2025.
He also pointed to new legislation designed to outlaw electronic devices used to circumvent vehicle security, with offenders facing up to five years in prison for their use.
A Home Office spokesperson commented: “Vehicle theft has a devastating impact on individuals, families, businesses and the wider industry. For too long, not enough has been done to stop these crimes or bring those responsible to justice.
“This government and the police are taking decisive action to change this – from introducing new laws to ban electronic devices used to steal vehicles, to training police officers on the methods used to steal vehicles and working with industry to address vulnerabilities in vehicles.”