MPs call for a crack down on car thefts

Hertfordshire Liberal Democrat MPs Victoria Collins, MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, and Daisy Cooper, MP for St Albans, have urged the government to get a grip on the issue through a return to proper community policing and by creating a new specialist team based at the National Crime Agency.

This comes after new figures from the Home Office, analysed by the Liberal Democrats, revealed that out of the whopping 2042 vehicle thefts that took place in Hertfordshire in 2025, just 1.19% cases resulted in the suspect being charged. In 77% cases the police failed to even identify a suspect.

The Liberal Democrats have blasted the Government for failing to get a grip on the issue, and have said only by properly restoring community policing in Hertfordshire will officers have the time and resources to respond to reports of theft. More visible police would also deter would-be thieves from brazenly taking people’s vehicles in plain sight.

Victoria, Daisy and their Liberal Democrat colleagues have also called for the formation of a specialist team based at the National Crime Agency. It would pool data from automatic number plate recognition cameras, insurance records and intelligence from police forces and border control to target organised car crime networks.

Liberal Democrat MP for Harpenden and Berkhamsted, Victoria Collins, said: 

“Across my constituency, people rely on their cars to get to work, take their kids to school and get themselves to the doctors and essential services. Local businesses have been hit, and even shut down, because of van thefts. It is an absolute scandal that 77% victims of crime are having their vehicles snatched from them, while the criminals get away scot free. 

“How on earth can we expect to deter would-be thieves from stealing people’s cars when so few offenders are actually being brought to justice? I’m hearing from more and more residents who have fallen victim to car theft, yet the Government seems to be asleep at the wheel.

“Criminals are growing bolder because they don’t fear the consequences, and it’s hardworking residents who are paying the price. We urgently need to restore community policing to tackle car theft. For too long, the police have been left overstretched and underfunded, meaning they simply do not have the resources to respond.”

Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat MP for St Albans, said:

“These figures are a shocking testament to the scale of this crime, and the uphill battle facing our local police force in tracking down these criminals.

“Just last year I joined Hertfordshire Police on a proactive patrol in Hill End, sharing information with residents on how to guard against car thefts and burglaries. I know this is an issue that’s been firmly on their radar for a long time, despite limits on their resources.

“The government must finally take this issue seriously by restoring community policing and backing Lib Dem calls for a new specialist team to tackle the organised crime gangs behind these crimes.”