The export of stolen vehicles from British
docks represents a “massive threat” to the finance and leasing
industry, law enforcement specialists have warned.
Vince Wise, ports officer for police car crime
unit AVCIS, said that in recent months he has seen more and more
vehicles subject to finance and leasing agreements being moved
illegally through the nation’s ports, and that a lack of regulation
on export procedures is making life easy for criminals wanting to
sell stolen cars overseas.
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“We have a huge opportunity to intercept these
vehicles, but what’s holding us back is a serious lack of
communication between large companies in the finance world,” he
commented.
Wise believes that if competing businesses
shared more information regarding the types and numbers of vehicles
stolen and the details of recoveries abroad, police could more
effectively anticipate criminal activity at the docks.
He added that because most of the stolen
vehicles being loaded into containers are high value, a high
proportion of them are on leasing agreements, and that insurance
companies are finding more and more reasons to avoid paying out on
vehicles that disappear.
“This is a massive threat to anyone with
vehicles on their books, and no one seems to want to take ownership
of the problem. To tackle this we need to know what’s being lost,
what’s being found, and we need to know it as soon as it
happens.”
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By GlobalDataA full report on the export of stolen
vehicles and the work being done to stop it will be published in
April’s edition of Motor Finance.
