RUSI holds landmark conference on combating organised vehicle theft

Delegates attending RUSI’s Acquisitive Crime Conference 2026: Tackling Organised Vehicle Theft heard that the Institute’s latest research put the cost to the British economy of organised vehicle theft at more than £1.7 billion per annum.

Dan Jarvis MP said: “I want it to be absolutely clear at the outset that vehicle theft is not a low-level or victimless crime. It’s a serious and devastating crime that causes real harm to victims and businesses, rips billions out of our economy every year and leaves thousands of communities feeling unsafe in their own neighbourhood.”

The event, which brought together a wide variety of law enforcement specialists as well as automotive and insurance industry professionals, heard about how sophisticated criminal networks steal and transport stolen vehicles from the UK to international markets. There was also discussion around proposals to combat this significant problem.

Pressing need

Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist stated: “It’s absolutely right to identify vehicle theft as no longer an opportunistic crime, but rather a form of criminality that’s being orchestrated by highly organised professional criminal networks seeking to maximise the generally low risk presented by the criminal justice system. There’s also the high financial rewards that can be offered.” 

Mark Rose, managing director of Tracker (a stolen vehicle recovery specialist and sponsor of the conference) observed: “There’s a pressing need for this kind of cross-sector conversation and for efforts to harness the advantages that the private sector and technology can bring to support law enforcement in the fight against vehicle theft.”

Desperately unsettling

Radio presenter Nick Ferrari described his experience of having his car stolen last year as “desperately unsettling”. He explained how the issue of car theft resonates with the public and feeds into wider perceptions of crime in the UK, adding that the event at RUSI was essential for convening experts and finding solutions.

Ferrari commented: “Things like this event are really good. I would think almost certainly next month another car crime story will come up, whatever it might be. I will be able to talk about the fact that RUSI is bringing manufacturers together. Policing experts are being brought together to work their way through the problem.”