§ Mr. Oakesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with insurance companies about the security from theft of motor vehicles and parts thereof and the contents of motor vehicles.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe motor insurance industry is represented on the working group set up last year by the Home Office standing conference on crime prevention to consider autocrime. The group is currently discussing how motor insurers might reflect in premiums the presence or absence of sophisticated security measures. At the recent seminar on crime prevention held by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, motor insurers agreed to consider security in rating vehicles for insurance and in the use of excesses on settlements.
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§ Mr. Oakesasked the Secretary of State for the Home department how many prosecutions there have been in England and Wales for theft of a motor vehicle in the last three years; and how many of these have been successful.
§ Mr. MellorThe information on the results of criminal proceedings for offences of theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicles is published annually in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, Supplementary Tables"—table S1.1(A), Volume 1, and table S2.1(A), volume 2, under offence classification 48. Corresponding information for 1985 is not yet available.
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motor vehicles have been reported stolen in the area of the Metropolitan police and the rest of England and Wales, respectively, in each of the last three years; and how many of these subsequently have been recovered.
§ Mr. MellorThe numbers of offences of theft or unathorised taking of a motor vehicle recorded by the police are published annually by police force area in "Criminal Statistics England and Wales, Supplementary Tables Volume 3" (table S.3.1 of the issue for 1984). Total figures for England and Wales are also published annually in a Home Office statistical bulletin, the most recent issue (number 4/86) giving that for 1985; 88,076 such offences were recorded by the Metropolitan police in 1985. The numbers of stolen vehicles recovered are given in the following table.
Stolen vehicles recovered Numbers Metropolitan Police District England and Wales 1983 52,200 247,800 1984 58,200 255,900 1985 54,900 262,700
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he is having with motor manufacturers to make vehicles more secure from theft.
§ Mr. Giles ShawMotor manufacturers are represented on the working group set up last year by the Home Office standing conference on crime prevention to consider car security. The group is now following up recommendations made in its report published last November which, inter alia, called on motor manufacturers to persuade car buyers that a high level of security is a desirable feature in new cars and to provide more sophisticated security features as optional extras. Motor manufacturers are also represented on the committee drawing up the British standard on car security, one of the initiatives to emerge from the recent crime prevention seminar held by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.
§ Mr. Oakesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research is being conducted by Her Majesty's Government into the security from theft of motor vehicles, their parts and contents.
§ Mr. Giles ShawRecent research projects in this area conducted or commissioned by the Home Office have investigated: possible design changes to enhance vehicle security; the problem of vehicle-related crime in Basingstoke; and abuse of the car import system.