Car Thieves Operate ‘Pinch And Park’ Tactic To Avoid Being Caught By Police

Car thieves have developed a new system of laying low to be avoid being foiled by GPS tracking, the Home Office has said.

Criminals will ‘pinch and park’ vehicles, which may have been fitted with security tracking devices, to stop police catching them.

The tactic involves them parking the car in a safe place for several days in case police have access to GPS data.

A new report by the government says that if the car has not been picked up by the police after a few days, the thief knows they are safe to move it to a workshop. There they will change the plates.

While many new, high-spec cars may have the security feature in built – which is activated after it is reported stolen – this tactic allows thieves to check.

The Home Office also warned of jamming devices.

The report said: “Anecdotal evidence from officers working on vehicle crime in the Metropolitan Police Service suggests that some offenders routinely park a vehicle in a safe location for a few days immediately after stealing it to check it is not being tracked.

“This would suggest that boosting the number of vehicles with tracking devices might reduce the ‘rump’ of more organised vehicle theft that remains.”

“However, trackers may also have limitations.

“Jamming devices which prevent stolen vehicles being tracked are also available online.”

The Reducing Criminal Opportunity: Vehicle Security and Vehicle Crime report also noted an increase in motorbike thefts and urged manufacturers to increase security.

“Whereas car thefts in 2014 were down by 15 per cent compared with 2012, motorbike thefts had increased by 44 per cent (around 2,900 extra offences),” the report said.