Police struggle with cases related to catalytic converter thefts

• Tens of thousands of catalytic converter thefts go undetected with only 1% of cases leading to charges.
• The devices’ precious metal components draw thieves’ attention.
• Converters may frequently be removed in less than a minute.

According to data gathered by the Liberal Democrats, tens of thousands of catalytic converter thefts go undetected with only 1% of cases leading to charges.

Only 548 occurrences between 2017 and 2021, according to data from 20 police departments in England and Wales, resulted in a suspect being charged.

Car exhaust systems with catalytic converters installed emit fewer harmful gases and pollutants.

The devices’ precious metal components draw thieves’ attention.

According to police, converters may frequently be removed in less than a minute and are most frequently stolen in parking lots before being sold to junkyards, sold online, or exported overseas.

Due to the higher value of its metals, hybrid automobiles are the most frequently targeted, however catalytic converter theft can happen to any vehicle.

According to the Home Office, there are nationwide initiatives to combat metal theft, which includes catalytic converters.

In response to a Freedom of Information request, the police statistics were made public.

A total of 50,223 thefts of catalytic converters were reported in the 20 police districts where complete information was available during the course of the five-year period.

There were no complete statistics available from some of the largest forces, including West Midlands Police and Greater Manchester Police.

The number of thefts in the 20 force areas studied increased from 742 recorded cases in 2017 to 19,451 cases in 2020 before dropping to 15,780 cases in 2021—the first full year of the Covid epidemic.

36,586 thefts, by far the most from 2017 to 2021, took place in London. 544 of them were resolved.

In 2020, there were 915 cases reported in Hertfordshire and 669 in South Yorkshire. In either police district, no one was ever charged that year.

The Liberal Democrats have demanded additional measures to combat the issue, such as more noticeable community policing to prevent thieves.

“Epidemic of theft”

According to the party, the Conservatives’ pledge to hire 20,000 extra police officers by March 2023 has stalled.

According to Home Office statistics, 15,343 additional police had been hired as of 30 September.

Sarah Olney, a Richmond Park MP and Lib Dem Treasury spokesman, said: “There is a nationwide pandemic of catalytic converter theft, yet all too frequently the criminal gangs involved get away with it.

People “should, at the very least, be able to trust that any theft from their vehicle will be thoroughly probed.”

She continued, saying that victims were “not just severely inconvenienced, but frequently left without compensation and slammed by rising insurance premiums.”

The price to replace a catalytic converter ranges from £150 to £800, depending on the car and the difficulty of the task.

Preventing crime

A representative for the Home Office stated: “We are aware of the effects that theft can have on victims, and we want perpetrators to face charges and be tried in court.

Since the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership was established in 2020, metal theft has been successfully combatted through coordinated national action against scrap metal merchants, including a noticeably increased level of enforcement action from police and partner agencies.

64 arrests were made during two weeks of nationwide action to combat catalytic converter and other metal theft, the spokeswoman stated, and more than 1,000 converters and other stolen goods were found.

Despite an increase in catalytic converter thefts, police claim that a car can still be protected.

They advise registering the converter and marking it with a forensic marker, as well as getting advice on recommended locks or guards from a car dealer.

As an alternative, they advise trying to ensure that the car is left overnight in a garage or, if it’s a business vehicle, in a secure area.

Otherwise, authorities advise parking in a well-lit, visible location and making an effort to position your vehicle so that potential thieves cannot readily access the converter. It is stated that vehicles that are positioned high over the road are particularly vulnerable.

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