Car Crime UK is a recent creation of the crime analyst team at Nice 1 Ltd in the UK.

The site aims to strip away the mystery that surrounds crime reporting in the UK, by looking more closely at Government and Home Office published statistics on crime and then presenting it in a user friendly format for both the consumer and interested commercial enterprises.

Whilst the site will focus on car crime in particular, the very nature of crime analysis involves a degree of cross over between incidents, therefore most, if not all criminal offences will be analysed at varying levels.

ANALYSIS OF CRIME

Whilst statistics do not always make the most interesting reading matter, the trends that they reflect, particularly crime statistics, have a direct bearing on our well being and sense of security in the community.Crime statistics are collated daily by the 43 police forces of England & Wales.

You can see the forces listed in the police news links lower down this page. Under the freedom of information act, forces are obliged to disclose information about crime so that the public have access.

However, the police only gather information about recorded crime. There are 164 recordable offences, from murder downwards.The problem lies in the reporting of crime.

The Home Office gather the police force recorded crime data each year and present it in an extremely detailed document, together with the results of an annual survey that canvasses 50,000 UK citizens.

If every crime were reported, and categorised accurately, crime statistics and the overview of crime would be clear as crystal. It is the non reporting of crime, reflected by the Home Office survey that reflects the disparity between crimes experienced and those actually reported.

For some offences, only 30% are reported, with the Home Office survey suggesting that the actual crime is probably 40% higher that the recorded cases.

The Home Office state that the survey figures are closer to the actual crime experienced, as they are drawn from victims of crime who have often not reported the occurrence. Reasons for non reporting will be analysed and presented through these pages.

Through careful analysis of Home Office datasets, combined with similar in depth information from other government and professional trade sources, the team at Nice 1 are able to produce analytical reports that provide a clearer picture of the true extent of crime in England & Wales.

A GUIDED TOUR

A short video sequence from the recent Car Crime UK program currently being serialised on ITV1 appears lower down the page. Trevor McDonald presents the program every Tuesday night at 9pm.

To the right you will find direct links to the crime report analysis documents produced by Nice 1 since the release of the crime figures by the Home Office in July. As this is an ongoing, all year round exercise, documents will be added as they are completed, so bookmark this site or click the RSS feeds for regular updates.

In addition to exploring historic data and identifying the trends around the country, we identify the criminal "modus operandi" (M.O.) or method of operations being favoured by UK criminals.

Furthermore, we trawl all the police sites, crime newsfeeds and reliable information sources for criminal activity and relevant statistical data for all regions of the UK. This enables us to provide up-to-date information about all aspects of crime in every geographic district. The uniqueness of this site is that it acts as a central collator of information that would otherwise be a laborious and painstaking process.

Further updates to the site are in progress that will provide current information from these pages to keep you accurately informed.Also to the right are a series of links to useful articles and documents about keeping your vehicle secure and checking the security rating of any vehicle you might be planning to purchase. The Nice 1 team only source this quality of information from reliable sources such as "Thatcham" the insurance industry funded research unit, and professional, reliable industry sources.

To the lower right, are the news feed links to all 43 police forces in England & Wales, so that you can see the news being reported in your area today!

LET'S GET STARTED!

The crime anlysis reports are a great place to start.

Here are a brief few sentences to provide an overview of the reports you can view either from the links opposite or the links below.

• Recorded car crime for the 2008/09 period, reflecting the incident rates and frequency for all 376 geographical districts, sorted in decreasing order of requency click here to view
• Same report as above, sorted alphabetically click here to view
• Report illustrating how "Car Key Theft" being reported as burglary or robbery artificially suppresses the recorded car crime figures. click here to view
• Press release to co-incide with the Car Crime UK program launch and advising of the Nice 1 crime analytics. click here to view
• See how your car rates for security in the most recent Theft Index click here to view
• See how your bike rates for the most recent Bike Theft Index click here to view
• Analysis of the Top 20 areas where the crime trend is increasing click here to view
• Total recorded crime -vs- car crime viewed side by side click here to view
• Comparison of Home Office offence rates (per 1000 pupulation) and the Licensed vehicles in England & Wales in 2008, and its effect on frequency of crime. click here to view
• A full trend analysis of all major crime groups for each of the 376 local districts, measuring the % increase or decrease by district. In short, check your area to see if crime is increasing or decreasing click here to view

Having read an analysis, we would welcome any questions, enquiries or suggestions that might assist others. If we can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to e mail us from any of the links on these pages.

If you would like to see more articles about car crime around the UK, visit our consumer site by clicking here.

Kind Regards

The Crime Analysis Team
Nice 1 Limited

Car Crime UK - Going Up Not Down?

ANALYSIS of official crime figures has led one industry expert to question the Government’s statistics.

Carl Brandrick, MD of Nice 1 Ltd, has been looking at the just published British Crime Survey figures, and comparing it to official Police Recorded Crime. He’s discovered big disparities – with a huge relevance to to the owners of the 30million+ licensed vehicles on UK roads.

British Crime Survey figures, he says, show there were 10.6 million crimes last year. Police data, however, puts this figure at 4.7 million. Why the huge difference? Simple: Police data shows recorded crime only. ‘When you consider that only 65 percent of house burglaries are reported (and, thus, recorded) – and just 45 percent of car crime is reported, you can see how concerned I am.’

Indeed, the difference, he suggests, runs contrary to headlines claiming crime is going down. And there’s even more to it than just that, says the replacement vehicle insurance company boss.

A big car crime growth area is the theft of keys from houses. Which is reported by the Police as… house burglary…… and thus NOT included in car crime stats.

The former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith released the number of car key thefts in 2008. There were a hefty 18,600 of them. ‘When these numbers are factored into the car theft figures, it reverses the headline-grabbing -14 percent decrease in car theft, to -2 percent’ reveals Brandrick.

Looking at other factors too, it’s led him to state that ‘it is almost certain we are talking about a car crime increase, not a decrease.’

To read the full article click here

Comments are welcome.

The Crime Analysis Team

Nice 1 Limited

"CASH FOR CRASH" - TOP 20 HOTSPOTS

Staged Car Crashes Cost the UK £200million

Cash for crash car insurance fraudsters are endangering the lives of innocent UK motorists and costing the industry over £200million a year. Furthermore, this cost is directly passed on to car insurance customers, bumping up the average car insurance premium by an estimated £50.
Working in organised crime rings, these fraudsters are netting hundreds of millions of pounds a year at the expense and risk of the innocent road user.

The gangs use the proceeds of their crimes to fund drug trafficking, gun running, immigration fraud and even, it has been suggested, to finance Muslim extremist groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Sue Baker, head of the Insurance Fraud Bureau, the body charged with investigating these cases, said: "This is not just a crime where greedy people are lining their own pockets and driving around in flash cars and buying nice houses. It's the more sinister uses to which the money is being put."

Police warn that vigilance is needed as this wave of potentially fatal criminal activity spreads across the country. Whilst arrests and convictions have been made, the law enforcement agencies have barely cratched the surface.

Typically, fraudsters will drive to a busy road junction then perform unexpected and dangerous emergency stops, designed to cause the innocent motorist to crash into them. Claims are then made to the innocent motorists' insurance company, frequently including several fictitious injury reports from members of the criminal gang. Often, they will claim for injuries relating to people who weren't even present and use each others names to do so. Another common trick, is to remove the brake lights of the offending vehicle, making it even more likely that a crash will occur.

The Insurance Fraud Bureau

Since its formation in July 2006, the IFB has been instrumental in helping the police make nearly 300 arrests of people endangering the lives of motorists in their attempts to defraud insurers. Three police operations resulted in 29 convictions and combined prison sentences of over 20 years. These efforts are pleasing, but only represent a fraction of the this growing problem.

The IFB currently has 25 active joint police operations spread across 13 UK police forces.
John Beadle, Chairman of the IFB comments:

"The criminal gangs targeting honest motorists are ruthless. Innocent lives are being put at risk and fraudulent insurance claims add approximately £40-£50 to every premium paid by honest policy holders each year. Left unchecked these criminal networks grow rapidly, split and even franchise smaller networks which in turn grow prolifically".

"We must continue to take a rigorous approach to dealing with this significant national problem which is impacting on many towns and cities across the UK. Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime, criminals must be brought to justice. We urge anyone with information on insurance fraud to call the Bureau's free and confidential Cheatline on 0800 328 2550 or report online at

http://www.insurancefraudbureau.org/report

Reprinted above is the IFB top twenty areas of the UK affected by "Cash for crash" crimes.

The Bureau also produce a useful free leaflet which gives advice to the UK motorist on how to protect yourself from these fraudsters.To download a copy of this leaflet click here.

Nice 1 Limited conduct analysis of vehicle crime in the UK and employ former police officers with many years of experience in accident investigation and vehicle theft. For more information, please contact us from the details in the contact panel or read more of our articles from the archives on these pages.

RICHMOND POLICE UNDER FIRE FOR WRONG REASON

Numerous articles appeared in the press over the last week or so about strategy being implemented by the Police at Richmond.

There has been an upsurge in Theft From Motor Vehicles in the area, many as a result of careless motorists leaving valuables on display and/or the vehicle insecure.

The strategy is part of a new crime prevention scheme, where officers will be on the lookout for cars which are unlocked, have open windows or doors left ajar.

They remove any valuables from the car and leave a letter on the driver’s seat, which explains what happened and who they need to contact to retrieve their goods.

Valuables can be collected from the nearest police station and a ‘crime prevention’ note will be left with the driver or posted to their address.

Police are hoping the scheme will increase awareness of leaving vehicles unsecured and reduce a recent rise in car theft.

PUBLIC OUTCRY

Am I expecting too much of the British public to applaud the efforts of the Richmond old bill here?

I have seen countless MOP responses, many supported by the media, to the tune of "The police have no right to enter my property" or "surely that's theft".

What rubbish!

We all know there is no intention to permanently deprive so theft doesn't come into it. Worse though is the seemingly natural instinct of some MOP to attach the police even when they are doing their job "Protecting life & property & preventing crime" (brings back memories!). What would they rather the lads do? Leave the insecure vehicle for the scrotes to nick the stuff then moan because the police failed to act? The guys at Richmond must be well cheesed off with it.

Here are a few links to show you what's being said :-

http://autotraderblog.co.uk/2009/08/25/police-breaking-into-cars-a-good-idea/

http://blog.taragana.com/n/policework-or-pilfering-uk-officers-take-valuables-from-unlocked-cars-leave-notes-for-owners-150510/

http://uk.messages.cars.yahoo.com/General/threadview?bn=UKC-CARSTALK&tid=3022&mid=3026

AND one with some really stupid comments.....

http://news.independentminds.livejournal.com/3847322.html

Comments welcome.

Crime Analyst

Nice 1 Limited

THE THIN BLUE LINE - AN INSIDE LOOK AT CRIME & POLICING IN THE UK

Welcome to "The Thin Blue Line", the latest issue from the Crime Analysis Team at Nice 1 Limited.

Nice 1 also publish :-

• Theft Protect : a site to raise consumer awareness about car crime incidents & events
• Car Crime UK : a site that explores the crime statistics issued by the Home Office & Police Forces
• Broker In Focus : A site to support insurance brokers in the UK
• Motor & Finance : A site to support motor manufacturers, dealers & finance companies

The Thin Blue Line has the specific focus of raising consumer awareness and public interest about the unseen issues of crime and policing in the UK today.

CRIME IN THE UK

The Home Office, senior civil servants & police officers would have us believe, through carefully constructed media headlines that crime is decreasing annually in the UK.

The frontline police officers perform an excellent job in exceptionally difficult circumstances.

Thieir task is exacurbated by the misreporting and non reporting of crime and meanwhile, millions of pounds in taxpayers' money is wasted and frittered away while the thin blue line is crushed under the burden of mad, politically correct bureaucracy, as crime statistics are fiddled shamelessly and crime spirals ever upwards.

THE POLICE

The team at Nice 1 have immense sympathy and support for the front line police officers. This site has been created, partly in support of those officers, and partly to raise public awareness about the true picture of crime and policing in the UK.

Many millions of the taxpayers money has been thrown at proposals for reducing bureacracy in the police force, with little or no effect. Despite the Government proudly boasting that the ranks of the police have swollen, frontline reports suggest that few if any of the extra resources have resulted in more "coppers on the beat". It is estimated that 80% of police resources are deskbound performing administrative functions, leaving busy city areas under resourced in the busiest periods.

From these pages we will "put flesh on the bones" with detailed analysis of the crime statistics and real reports from real police officers.

POLICE "GAGGING" STRATEGIES

Unfortunately, incidents such as the exposure of DC Richard Horton, the Lancashire Detective who published a popular blog (receiving many thousands of daily hits until its forced closure), discourage many officers from speaking out.

A number of bobbies continue valiantly in their attempts to bring the truth into the public arena. However, it is clear that senior officers with UK forces acvtively discourage the practice, for fear that the truth may actually be brought to the surface. Officers fear that their career progress will be halted or even worse.

The Thin Blue Line represents a voice for those grass roots coppers who want to express an informed opinion about crime statistics, police policy and processes in general, insofar as they are in the public interest.

This site will not condone or support scurrilous defamation, racist or insulting activity, or comments that might bring another officer or his force into disrepute. Neither will it knowingly engage in activity that might adversly affect any individual The site will however, report frequently on issues that are within the public interest, that require answers.

Whilst some media and judicial commentators voice the opinion that an argument has greater value if the source is identified, this it outweighed by the contrary argument that the truth may never surface without the well intended contributions of officers in the know.

It is not in the interests of the presiding Government to concede that crime and policing are failing our society. That would lose votes.

The public deserves to know the truth, however stark the facts may be. How else can the correct resources be applied, financially or operationally to improve the situation? Police Force websites and press departments speak of the public right to information. Such information is only of value if it is complete and accurate.

The Thin Blue Line will report on these truths, passing the information wherever appropriate to the "powers that be" who do not have a vested interest in providing misinformation.

There will be contraversial information disclosed, that is to be expected if there is to be any influence exerted and improvements made.

General comments and replies are welcome on the site, from members of the public, police officers, serving, former, volunteer or retired, police civilians, media, judiciary, in fact anyone who has an interest in how crime is reported and policed.

We look forward to hearing from you.

The Crime Analysis Team

Nice 1 Limited