Car Theft

Request Number: FOI/14173

Category: Incident and Crime Statistics - Theft

Subject: Car Theft

Request and Answer: 

Your request for information has now been considered. In respect of Section 1(1)(a) of the Act we can confirm that the Police Service of Northern Ireland does hold information to which your request relates. The decision has been taken to disclose the following.

Request Details
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request data on car theft investigations within your police force’s jurisdiction. Specifically, I’d like details on:
       
Request 1
The total number of reported car thefts in your jurisdiction for each of the last three calendar years (2021, 2022, and 2023).
 
Request 2       
The number of those cases that resulted in a suspect being charged or otherwise identified as the offender.
 
Request 3
The number of those cases that remain unsolved 
If possible, please provide this information in a year-by-year breakdown.

Answers 1, 2 & 3
There is no specific offence of theft of a car. To determine this would require manual examination of all Theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle and Aggravated vehicle taking offences in this time period (around 3,500) to see which involved a stolen car. Therefore this would be over cost.

As an alternative, we have provided the number of these vehicle theft offences, broken down by the currently assigned outcome, as the majority of these offences will involve cars.

The following table is based on all recorded Theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle and Aggravated vehicle taking offences during the period 1st January 2021 and 31st December 2023.  The currently assigned outcome may be updated as investigations are completed or new information becomes available.

1.  Other Sanction Outcome includes Cautions and Community Resolution Notices.
2. Other includes Prosecution Prevented and Other Agencies.