FOI 396271
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 396271
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 24th March 2025. Please find below the response to your request:
Q1. For each of the following calendar years, please provide the number of cars reported as stolen to the force.
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
Q2. For each of the following calendar years, please provide the number of cars recovered after being reported stolen.
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
Q.3. In each of the following calendar years, please state how many reports of a car being stolen led to a charge or summons.
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
Reply
Your request for information has been considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”), and I am not obliged to provide the information requested.
S.12(1) of the Act states that a public authority is not obliged to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the “appropriate limit”. For police forces in England and Wales, the "appropriate limit" is £450 or 18 hours of work as set by the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
The information you have requested is not available in a readily retrievable format. There is no specific recording of car thefts. We are unable to split stolen vehicles into categories such as Vans, Cars, Lorries. There are over 5000 records. In order to ascertain whether the information you have requested is held would take in excess of 18 hours as each record would have to be checked individually.
In accordance with s.17(5) of the Act, this acts as a Refusal Notice.
However, In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request and can provide the information requested for for all vehicles as this was retrieved during our initial research. This should not be taken as a precedent that additional information would be supplied outside of the time/fees legislation for any subsequent requests
|
Number of crimes recorded within two Primary Offence Sub Sub Groups pertaining to vehicle theft |
Calender Year |
Grand Total |
||||
|
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
||
|
AGGRAVATED VEHICLE TAKING |
62 |
58 |
85 |
74 |
73 |
352 |
|
THEFT OR UNAUTH TAKING OF A MOTOR VEH |
880 |
850 |
1250 |
1445 |
1512 |
5937 |
|
Grand Total |
942 |
908 |
1335 |
1519 |
1585 |
6289 |
|
Number of vehicles linked as stolen to crimes recorded within two Primary Offence Sub Sub Groups pertaining to vehicle theft |
Calender Year |
Grand Total |
||||
|
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
||
|
AGGRAVATED VEHICLE TAKING |
32 |
39 |
47 |
39 |
39 |
196 |
|
THEFT OR UNAUTH TAKING OF A MOTOR VEH |
816 |
795 |
1173 |
1376 |
1436 |
5596 |
|
Grand Total |
848 |
834 |
1220 |
1415 |
1475 |
5792 |
|
Number of crimes recorded within two Primary Offence Sub Sub Groups pertaining to vehicle theft shown by the outcome of the investigation |
Calender Year |
Grand Total |
||||
|
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
||
|
AGGRAVATED VEHICLE TAKING |
62 |
58 |
85 |
74 |
73 |
352 |
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
18 |
17 |
18 |
22 |
20 |
95 |
|
Type 1A - Charged/Summons - alternate offence. Offender has been charged under the alternate offence rule. |
1 |
3 |
1 |
5 |
||
|
Type 2 - Caution Youth |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
||
|
Type 3 - Caution Adult |
1 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
||
|
Type 8 - Community resolution (Crime) |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Type 9 - Prosecution Not In the Public Interest (CPS) |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Type 12 - Prosecution Prevented-Named Suspect Identified But Is Too Ill (Physical Or Mental Health) To Prosecute, or confirmed died either before crime reported or before enough evidence to charge |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|||
|
Type 14 - Evidential Difficulties Victim Based- Suspect Not Identified: Crime Confirmed But The Victim Either Declines Or Unable To Support Further Police Investigation To Identify The Offender |
3 |
6 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
21 |
|
Type 15 - Named Suspect Identified: Victim Supports Police Action But Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action |
14 |
6 |
6 |
11 |
7 |
44 |
|
Type 16 - Named Suspect Identified: Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action: Victim Does Not Support (Or Has Withdrawn Support From) Police Action |
12 |
15 |
30 |
19 |
20 |
96 |
|
Type 17 - Prosecution Time Limit Expired: Suspect Identified But Prosecution Time Limit Has Expired |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
||
|
Type 18 - Investigation Complete; No Suspect Identified. Crime Investigated As Far As Reasonably Possible-Case Closed Pending Further Investigative Opportunities Becoming Available |
10 |
10 |
19 |
12 |
15 |
66 |
|
Type 22 - Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, resulting from the crime report, has been undertaken and it is not in the public interest to take any further action. |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|||
|
Ongoing Investigation |
7 |
7 |
||||
|
THEFT OR UNAUTH TAKING OF A MOTOR VEH |
880 |
850 |
1250 |
1445 |
1512 |
5937 |
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
20 |
20 |
26 |
40 |
35 |
141 |
|
Type 1A - Charged/Summons - alternate offence. Offender has been charged under the alternate offence rule. |
2 |
7 |
4 |
25 |
6 |
44 |
|
Type 2 - Caution Youth |
3 |
1 |
4 |
|||
|
Type 3 - Caution Adult |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
|
|
Type 5 - Offender has died |
1 |
1 |
||||
|
Type 8 - Community resolution (Crime) |
1 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
9 |
|
|
Type 10 - Formal Action Against Offender is not in the Public Interest (Police) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
||
|
Type 12 - Prosecution Prevented-Named Suspect Identified But Is Too Ill (Physical Or Mental Health) To Prosecute, or confirmed died either before crime reported or before enough evidence to charge |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|||
|
Type 14 - Evidential Difficulties Victim Based- Suspect Not Identified: Crime Confirmed But The Victim Either Declines Or Unable To Support Further Police Investigation To Identify The Offender |
47 |
67 |
65 |
76 |
96 |
351 |
|
Type 15 - Named Suspect Identified: Victim Supports Police Action But Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action |
102 |
69 |
121 |
183 |
118 |
593 |
|
Type 16 - Named Suspect Identified: Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action: Victim Does Not Support (Or Has Withdrawn Support From) Police Action |
126 |
105 |
111 |
150 |
154 |
646 |
|
Type 17 - Prosecution Time Limit Expired: Suspect Identified But Prosecution Time Limit Has Expired |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
9 |
|
Type 18 - Investigation Complete; No Suspect Identified. Crime Investigated As Far As Reasonably Possible-Case Closed Pending Further Investigative Opportunities Becoming Available |
576 |
575 |
913 |
957 |
1059 |
4080 |
|
Type 20 - Further action resulting from the crime report will be undertaken by another body or agency subject to the victim (or person acting on their behalf) being made aware of the act to be taken |
2 |
4 |
6 |
|||
|
Type 22 - Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, resulting from the crime report, has been undertaken and it is not in the public interest to take any further action. |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
|
|
Ongoing Investigation |
4 |
32 |
36 |
|||
|
Grand Total |
942 |
908 |
1335 |
1519 |
1585 |
6289 |
Caveat: West Mercia Police cannot confirm the number of vehicles which have been recovered. A vehicles status as stolen/recovered can be recorded on local systems but cannot be considered reliable as a car could be recovered by another force who would not have access to update our crime management system. This information is generally recorded on the Police National Computer however we are unable to extract of report on data recorded on PNC.
Please contact us again should you wish to submit a request for alternative/reduced information