Technology to combat car crime?
Technology to combat police retreat on car crime as business prepares to count the cost
In a follow up to one of our pieces last week concering car crime in the rental sector, it appears more and more companies are turning to technology to pick up the slack on car crime investigation.
It is expected that corporations will find themselves increasingly becoming a central cog in the prevention and detection of car crime as the police, recently criticised by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), have ‘almost given up’ on car crime and it is on the verge of being unofficially ‘decriminalised’.
According to the latest Home Office statistics, 24,000 businesses suffered vehicle related thefts in 2013 – the equivalent of 6.9 crimes per one hundred premises. Historically, 100 percent of vehicle thefts from companies are reported to the authorities but only a fraction are investigated.
“As well as the material cost of any losses and wasted business time spent dealing with the aftermath of vehicle crime, fleet insurance premiums are impacted significantly if losses have to be registered,” says Steve Evans, CEO of In-Car Cleverness. “Going forward, they [companies] will have to rely more and more on advanced telematics to protect their assets and reduce the distraction and disruption of theft and recovery.”
The recent HMIC findings merely confirmed what has already been a background trend in recent years according to Evans. APU Ltd, the motor fraud investigation sister company of In-Car Cleverness, has seen the mounting pressure on police resources push vehicle theft down the priority list, especially for its corporate clients.
“Protection has always been down to the individual, but it’s fair to say that detection and recovery has unofficially become a ‘privatised’ service,” continued Mr. Evans. “Technology may not always act as a deterrent for the hardcore criminals, but it can protect the tangible and intangible costs associated with thefts for businesses.”
Has your fleet been the victim of theft or criminal damage? How were your experiences with the police and follow-ups? Let us know in the comments below
