Vehicle thefts in Devon and Cornwall remained relatively stable between 2015-16 and 2020-21, when there were 964 and 955 offences respectively, before climbing sharply to 1,491 offences in 2022-23. Although offences fell slightly to 1,392 in 2024-25, they rose again to 1,550 in 2025-26.
Det Ch Supt Ben Deer from the force, said: “The increase in vehicle theft offences is being driven by a range of factors, many of which are being seen across the UK.”
Organised crime groups are thought to be responsible for a significant proportion of thefts, targeting vehicles for resale, dismantling them for parts or moving them through wider criminal networks.
Theft methods have also become increasingly sophisticated, with offenders using technology such as electronic key cloning and signal amplification to “bypass modern vehicle security systems”, Deer said.
Vehicles could often be stolen quickly while leaving few forensic opportunities for investigators.
“The rising value of used vehicles and vehicle parts has also made this type of offending more profitable,” he said.
He also said vehicle theft investigations had become more complex because offenders often operated across force boundaries.
“Devon and Cornwall Police remains committed to pursuing all available lines of inquiry and bringing offenders to justice wherever the evidence supports it,” he said.