County lines gangs now ‘grooming children to steal cars’
Technology makes thefts easier, but experts blame lack of police resources
CAR theft gangs are using county lines recruitment tactics to groom youngsters into stealing high-value vehicles, a police chief has said.
Dave Thompson, the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, said that cars are now easier to steal due to keyless car technology which has led to a “dramatic” increase in crime.
Criminals are turning to “exactly the same” strategies as those employed by county lines gangs to encourage children and teenagers to work for them, he said, such as offering to buy food for their family.
“In vehicle crime we’re seeing a phenomenon like county lines where young people are being commissioned to steal vehicles of certain types,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.
“We see that phenomenon where they’ve been asked to do it, they’re rewarded in a very similar way, they’re groomed – people have offered to do the shopping for their mum.”
Mr Thompson said that youngsters are easy recruitment targets for this kind of crime because they “like the thrill of taking the car”.
County lines gangs use a range of tactics to recruit children such as buying them expensive trainers, clothes and accessories as well as giving them drugs.
Case workers at Catch22, a social enterprise which offers support to young offenders, said they had seen an increase in youths being groomed for car theft.
Raymond Reid, who works for the organisation’s child criminal exploitation service, said: “We are seeing a rise in the number of young people being exploited to commit car theft. Vulnerable, impressionable young people are groomed with cash and attention.”
He said that while organised criminals make large amounts of money from these operations, they have “no regard for the impact this exploitation has on the young person”.
Over the past six years, the number of cars being stolen has risen by almost 60 per cent, from 75,308 a year in 2013-14 to 119,728 last year.
Car thefts had been in decline. Between 2002-03 and 2013-14 they fell by more than 75 per cent, Home Office data shows.
“Cars worth huge amounts of money are easier to steal than ever because of electronic security issues,” Mr Thompson said.
“The market for disposal of goods and parts is easy on the internet. Your ability to have a national marketplace for local criminals for some offences now has changed.”
The National Police Chiefs’ Council warned earlier this month that cashonly car sales at auctions are being used by organised crime gangs to fuel a surge in vehicle theft and should be banned.
Automobile experts warned that the most straightforward way to steal a vehicle remains getting hold of the keys, adding that the increase in car crime has been partly fuelled by a lack of police officers.
Simon Williams, a spokesman for RAC Insurance, said that police are “losing the battle” against vehicle thefts which they say is partly down to the fact that there are fewer officers.
He said it is “very worrying” for drivers that criminal organisations are learning recruitment techniques from county lines drug gangs in order to steal cars.