Britain’s van theft hotspots revealed by alarming new police data

Motorists in the capital are urged to exercise caution, as new stats reveal that London is the UK’s van theft capital, with October being a peak month for van-related theft.

The shocking new data was revealed by temporary car insurance experts
Dayinsure
who sent out FOI requests to police forces across the country to gather the latest available data on van thefts.

Of the 25 police authorities that responded to the request for information, London was the UK’s number one van break-in or theft hotspot, with 14,529 crimes recorded last year alone.

This means roughly 40 vans were targeted in London, every single day by thieves.

Most of these cases related to theft from vans (11,532), while 2,997 cases of stolen vans were reported to the Met police force.

Of the stolen vehicles, more than half (1,604) were not recovered, while 923 were recovered intact and 470 were recovered damaged.

London may have been named the van theft capital, but it was followed by West Yorkshire, which was revealed to be another crime hotspot. Here there were 902 thefts of vans, and 1071 thefts from vans (amounting to just short of 2,000 total related van crimes)
in 2023.

Following closely in third place, Essex police recorded 1,882 van-related crimes last year. However, there was a bigger proportion of thefts from vehicles (1,476), compared to thefts of the vehicles themselves (406) here.

Van Theft and Break-Ins: The UK Hotspots  

Metropolitan Police (London) – 14,529

West Yorkshire Police – 1,973

Essex Police – 1,882  

Leicestershire Constabulary – 1,237

Avon and Somerset – 876 

South Wales Police – 751  

Nottinghamshire Police – 746

Northamptonshire Police – 553

South Yorkshire Police – 533  

Humberside Police – 336  

Surrey Police – 327 

Hertfordshire Constabulary – 262 

Bedfordshire Police – 242

Lincolnshire Police – 228

North Yorkshire Police – 208 

Comparatively, Dorset Police and Devon and Cornwall saw relatively low van crime numbers in 2023, with only 40 crimes recorded in each area.

UK Areas with Lowest Numbers of Van Thefts and Break-Ins 

Dorset Police – 40

Devon and Cornwall Constabulary – 40

North Wales Police – 66

Derbyshire Constabulary – 94

Cambridgeshire Constabulary – 105

The Ford Transit was the van most targeted make and model by thieves across the whole of the country, according to the FOI findings.

Nicholas Shaw, Director of Operations at
Dayinsure,
said: “As experts in van insurance, whether you are borrowing a van to move house or simply move large items around at another time, we recommend taking all the necessary precautions to protect the vehicle and its contents.

“Not keeping your vehicle secure, for example by leaving the door unlocked, could invalidate your insurance, leaving you without cover if your van is targeted by thieves.

“Especially in the winter, when it gets dark earlier, you should always ensure your van is parked safely and don’t leave it unattended, even if you are just leaving the engine running to defrost it in front of your house.

“Much like the regular vehicle maintenance checks that should be made like topping up your oil or checking your tyre pressure, making the time each day to ensure you van is parked safely and securely when not in use should be at the forefront of every van driver’s
mind.”