Vehicle Security (Hansard, 19 December 1989)

§ Mr. Mills
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken to implement the conclusions of the working group on car security made in November 1986; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. John Patten
The working group on car security made a number of recommendations, most of which were aimed at car manufacturers and the insurance industry.
In response to the working group's recommendations, car security publicity by the Home Office, Department of 156W Transport and the DVLC has continued at a high level and there has been a noticeable increase in publicity from manufacturers.
Five parts of a British standard on vehicle security, covering mechanical locking systems, security of in-car entertainment equipment, window etching, central power locking and dead-locking, and both parts of a standard on anti-theft alarms, have now been published. Much progress is already evident in new vehicle production, including high security door, boot and ignition locks, fuel filler locks, anti-theft radios and alarm systems and in the provision of window etching services. A computerised motor insurance anti-fraud and theft register was launched in March 1987 and there has been a general increase in car security advice from insurers and brokers, though more could be done.

§ Mr. Mills
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to implement the recommendations of the Standing Conference on Crime Prevention working group on car crime, made in December 1988.

§ Mr. John Patten
The car crime working group continued its work this year. A group of experts has been formed to consider the production of a car-crime prevention video for use in schools. The working group and the Home Office have taken steps to bring the working group's recommendations to the attention of car manufacturers and the media. In response to the working group's recommendations, the Home Office scientific research and development branch is carrying out research into the production of an index of the vulnerability of types of car to theft and into the correlation between car theft and road accidents. The working group has explored ways in which statistics aimed at the prevention of car crime might be collected and published.
It is encouraging that the most recent published statistics, covering the period of 12 months to June 1989 showed a reduction of almost 4 per cent. in the number of recorded offences of car crime, compared with the corresponding period to the end of June 1987.