Warning as car thefts increase in North East

Theft of motor vehicles in the North East has risen by up to 75% in the last four years, new figures show.

Figures from the RAC say there were 1,805 vehicles stolen in the Northumbria Police area in 2018/19 compared to 1,025 in 2014/15.

In the Durham Constabulary area there were 828 vehicle thefts in the last year, compared to 560 in 2014/15 – a rise of 47%

The thefts part of a national rise of 56% in which 152,541 vehicles were stolen in the last year, compared to 97,609 in 2014/15, according to police data obtained by RAC Insurance.

RAC Insurance spokesman Simon Williams said: "These figures paint a rather disturbing picture. Vehicle thefts are on the rise almost everywhere, and in some parts of the country numbers are rocketing.

"The rises in crime are not confined to a few larger urban areas. Many police forces covering more rural areas also seeing big increases.

"While vehicle crime is at far lower levels today than it was in the early 1990s thanks to improvements in vehicle security and the number of vehicles on the roads, it’s still concerning that so many more vehicles are being stolen.”

Government data shows that thieves use a key in nearly half of incidents, indicating that many drivers can do more to protect their vehicles.

Mr Williams went on: "While organised criminal gangs are responsible for a large proportion of crime, thieves will also be opportunistic in nature so the more a driver can do to make their car a less likely target the better."