Cutting car crime in Chipping Barnet

Dan Tomlinson MP on the fight against car theft and why it matters

Portrait image of Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson — Dan Tomlinson MP (credit parliament.uk)

Sometimes I get criticised as an MP for focusing on local car theft as an issue. Aren’t there bigger challenges to worry about? We’re in an era of geopolitical instability, climate breakdown, and significant technological disruption. There are lots that an MP could focus on. Why car theft?

Well, the first reason is that an MP’s job is to represent their constituents, and work on issues that local people tell them about. When I was knocking on doors throughout the area in 2024, it felt like someone on every road had a story about a stolen car or motorbike that had affected them or their neighbours. The feeling was backed up by the data – there were 574 incidents of vehicle theft in Chipping Barnet in 2023.

Each one of those incidents has a huge impact on those affected – it’s not just about the vehicle itself – it’s about the threat to safety and dignity that comes with it.

The second reason I still focus on car theft is that the more I talked to experts on the issue, the more I realised the connection between car theft and the other issues we care about.

Worried about geopolitics and the threat of Russia? Lots of our stolen cars go straight to ports and are shipped across the world – many ending up in countries like Russia who have been otherwise cut off from lots of international markets.

Worried about gang violence and drugs? Car theft is generally an example of polycriminality – gangs using some activities to fund other, more dangerous ones. Almost all car theft now is committed by organisedgangs.

So, I’m really pleased to report that vehicle theft is going down.

Since I was elected in 2024, vehicle theft has been falling across London – on average it’s 4% lower than 2023 levels. I’ve supported the government to introduce new legislation to make keyless theft more difficult, and to improve police response.

In Chipping Barnet, vehicle theft has been 27% lower than 2023 levels (averaging 104 per quarter, compared to 144 a quarter in 2023) – an amazing effort from our local police.

I was able to connect local officers with the National Vehicle Crime Reduction Partnership and secure grant funding for several successful local operations; I’ve identified some of the most effective car theft prevention programmes in the country and connected them with officers here; I’ve collaborated with technology companies to better track and return stolen cars; I’ve spoken to manufacturers about their security systems; I worked with the Labour Council to drastically improve CCTV last year.

This isn’t over – levels are still too high and are fluctuating quarter on quarter as criminals adapt their strategies to our new interventions. But we’ll keep fighting back!

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