NCJ Number
198299
Date Published
July 2001
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Based on data from the 2000 British Crime Survey (BCS), this paper presents a national overview of vehicle-related theft.
Abstract
The 2000 BCS was a survey of 19,411 adults ages 16 or over in England and Wales. Approximately 15,000 were in vehicle-owning households. BCS respondents were asked about their experiences of victimization during the calendar year 1999, with follow-up questions on the circumstances of the incidents, including its location and timing, how the offender got into the vehicle, what was stolen, the recovery of vehicles, and the damage. Respondents were also asked about the security devices they used on their vehicles. The consistent decline in vehicle-related theft identified by both the BCS and police recorded crime since the mid-1990's indicates that policing strategies, improved vehicle security, and other crime prevention measures are succeeding. This decline is consistent with but more pronounced than the general decrease in the levels of property crime. On average, 12.6 percent of vehicle-owning households were victims of vehicle-related theft at least once in 1999. Less than 2 percent of owners had a vehicle stolen, with 8.1 percent having thefts from their vehicles, and 3.7 percent attempted thefts. The groups most at risk for vehicle-related theft included households with high incomes and owners who parked their cars outside their homes. The findings reported in this paper are intended to provide a national benchmark against which local police and crime-reduction partnerships can compare local data for the purpose of crime-control priorities and strategies. 4 tables, 4 figures, and 11 references