Taxi is stripped in 90 seconds

THIEVES took less than 90 seconds to steal the valuable catalytic converter from a taxi in a city street.

The owner of the Toyota Prius, who wished to be named only as Mr Hussain, watched the crime on his CCTV footage the following day.

It shows the hooded men jack up the vehicle, go underneath to remove the device and then flee.

The incident happened on Sunday evening in King Edward Road, in North Evington, Leicester.

The 48-year-old taxi driver said: “It happened at 6.30pm and it’s quite near to a main road but they don’t seem to be worried.

“They arrive, get off the catalytic converter and in less than two minutes they’ve driven off again.

“I’m surprised they risked it, but they knew what they were doing.

“They have their faces covered so it’s not going to be easy to identify them.”

He said more than 100 Leicester taxi drivers had been victims of similar crimes in the past couple of years.

“I’m the admin on a WhatsApp group of about 250 private hire taxi drivers and about half of us have been targeted now. It’s a huge problem,” he said.

“I’m insured but the excess payment is high and if I claim I know my premiums may go up, so like a lot of other taxi drivers I’ve decided to just pay for the repairs myself.

“If I go through my insurance company it will also take longer to get it fixed which means more days with no income.”

Police said in October last year that catalytic converter thefts began to rise in late 2018, and after a lull earlier in the pandemic, numbers have risen again.

In 2018, about 280 such thefts were recorded and that rose to 618 the following year.

Mr Hussain, a taxi driver for 16 years, said: “With the lockdown our income has been cut by 60 to 70 per cent most days. It’s really hard at the moment.”

He said many taxi drivers were opting to have shields fitted over the catalytic converters.

“It doesn’t protect them completely but the shields mean it takes up to 45 minutes to cut through and get to the catalytic converter, instead of just a couple,” he said.

“A lot of garages are offering to fit the shields now because of this problem. It costs about £200.”

A police spokeswoman said: “We are investigating the theft of a catalytic converter from a vehicle parked in King Edward Road, Leicester.

“The incident took place at 6.40pm on Sunday and inquiries are continuing. If anyone has any information which may assist the investigation they are asked to contact 101.

“The theft of catalytic converters is a concern locally and nationally.

“These parts can be easily accessible and are sold for precious metals. There has been much work nationally with car manufacturers to increase the security of these parts.

“In some areas of Leicester we have enlisted the support of garages which offer to security mark the part while a vehicle is undergoing work.

“A number of operations have also been carried out across the force area which has led to parts being recovered and a number of arrests. Those investigations are ongoing.”