‘Chop shops’ could flourish under lockdown

Police across the country are already fighting an increase in ‘chop shops’ – where stolen vehicles are stripped down and expensive parts sold on – but Tracker says the lack of legitimate parts could “increase their popularity and profitability still further”.

It is already warning motorists against opportunistic criminals looking to steal cars to fill the replacement parts gap, caused by the shutting down of manufacturer supply chains.

“Premium, new and collectible vehicles are the most frequently stolen for their parts, but no car is immune,” said Tracker, which recently recovered a VW Polo valued at less than £600.

“Cars stolen by chop shops are often left for up to four days to check it is not being tracked, before it is taken to the garage where its identity is changed, and its high-value parts are removed for re-sale.”

Latest Tracker statistics show London and its nearest neighbours with the highest frequency of car thefts and recoveries, followed closely by Essex and the West Midlands.

West Midlands Police believes some chop shops could be making millions of pounds, with criminal gangs stealing cars to order for spares.

Clive Wain, head of police liaison at Tracker, said: “These are unprecedented times, and sadly we cannot look into the future to see how long the current restrictions will affect the car manufacturer supply chain. Sadly, while we are seeing many positives come out of the current crisis – such as communities pulling together and environmental benefits – we could in the coming weeks and months see criminals take advantage of new opportunities.

He said that with movement so restricted, many people were using their cars far less frequently, so it was easy to get out of the habit of checking doors were locked and keys were secured after those “rare essential journeys”.

“Ninety-two per cent of the vehicles we recovered last year were stolen without the thief having possession of the vehicle’s keys,” added Mr Wain.