Roads may have been 70% quieter during the lockdown, but the number of vehicle-related crimes barely changed, new figures reveal.

The findings come from a new study by insurance specialists, Carole Nash, which involved analysis of the latest UK police forces data on vehicle crime, alongside a survey of 1,000 car and motorcycle owners.

According to the police forces figures, there were a reported 32,350 vehicle crimes in total in March 2020: down by just 10% versus the previous month, February 2020 (35,894) and 14% less than in the same month last year, March 2019 (37,400).

Vehicle crime is defined as: aggravated vehicle taking, theft from a motor vehicle, theft from vehicle other than a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle and/or interference with a motor vehicle.

Nearly a third (32%) of car or motorcycle owners polled said they expected vehicle crime to be 30% lower during lockdown, while one in ten (10%) expected it to be 50% lower.

One in twenty (11%) had even changed the level of cover on their car or motorcycle insurance policy, (believing risk to be lower), while one in forty (2.5%) had cancelled a policy altogether and declared their vehicle as ‘SORN’5.  A further 5% of people plan to make further changes to their policy due to lockdown.

Experts at Carole Nash are warning motorists that opportunistic thieves are actively ’window shopping’ and are not nervous about stealing vehicles or vehicle parts – even if you are just a few feet away in your home.

Comparing total vehicle crime figures for March 2020 versus February 2020, some areas even saw an increase:

· Lincolnshire: 35% higher (269 in March, versus 199 in February)
· Dyfed-Powys: 21% higher (75 in March, versus 62 in February)
· Lancashire: 18% higher (763 in March, versus 644 in February)
· Cleveland: 16% higher (298 in March, versus 256 in February)
· Cambridgeshire: 5% higher (503 in March, versus 481 in February)
· Nottinghamshire: 2% higher (731 in March, versus 717 in February)
· Northumbria: 1% higher (716 in March, versus 706 in February)
· Dorset: 1% higher (358 in March, versus 356 in February)
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London’s Metropolitan Police recorded the highest total number of vehicle crimes in March (9,622), followed by West Midlands Police (2,630) and West Yorkshire Police (1,533).

Police Forces Reporting the Highest Number of Vehicle Crimes in March 2020:

1. London (Metropolitan): 9,622
2. West Midlands: 2,630
3. West Yorkshire: 1,553
4. Thames Valley: 1,341
5. South Yorkshire: 1,055
6. Essex: 1,050
7. Kent: 937
8. Lancashire: 763
9. Hampshire: 743
10. Nottinghamshire: 731
11.
The lowest number of vehicle crimes was recorded by the City of London Police (20), whose juridiscation covers an area of just 1.1 sq miles in England’s capital city.