BBC news is
reporting that thieves in Bedfordshire are targetting late Vauxhalls
for spares parts & that so far more than 500 Vauxhalls have been stripped
for parts.
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One morning Lisa Frankland woke to discover the front of her
Vauxhall Corsa had vanished. A neighbour knocked on her door and told her she
should take a look. The bonnet, the bumper, the front lights and radiator had
all been stolen. "I just wasn't expecting it," says Frankland, 43, a
midwife. "I didn't expect to go out and find the front of the car
missing." The day she discovered the theft, she had to cancel her shift at
work 40 minutes drive away and the damage cost £5,000 to repair
But though this crime was odd, it was far from rare. In and
around Bedfordshire, where Frankland lives, owners of Vauxhalls have been
waking to find their cars taken to pieces overnight. Bedfordshire Police say
there have been more 500 offences in which components have been stolen from
Vauxhall Astras and Corsas since August 2013.
The thieves take body parts in varying quantities. Sometimes
only the bumper and the number plate might be stolen. In other cases, the cars
are stripped right down to the chassis. In
150 cases the damage was too extensive for repairs to be economically viable.
At first, the thefts were sporadic, but recently they have
picked up in pace. Since April 2015, five to 10 of these crimes have been
recorded every week. "I work out of
Luton, Dunstable, area of Bedfordshire and
we're seeing maybe one a day," says Katy Stewart, a scenes of crime
officer with the force. Police say they are also aware of incidents in the
neighbouring county
of Northamptonshire.
The culprits generally choose cars in residential locations or
at garage forecourts. The Vauxhalls are typically targeted between 02:00 and
04:00. CCTV footage taken in April shows
two men on a residential street casually and methodically stripping the front
of a Corsa. When a neighbour's cat sets off a security light, the pair carry on,
apparently unperturbed.
"The limiting factor in this is how much they can
physically carry away from the location," says Ch Insp Ian Middleton, who
is leading the investigation.
The distinctiveness of the thefts raises the question of why
exactly so many cars of one particular manufacturer have been targeted in this
area. It may be relevant that General
Motors' Vauxhall plant is in Luton, where
vehicles have been made since 1905.
"As a consequence of that it's got a huge brand loyalty
locally," says Middleton. "There is a disproportionately high number
of Vauxhalls owned within the Bedfordshire area."
Officers suspect the components are being sold on to the body
repair market. Typically, they are the kind of parts would need to be replaced
in the event of an accident. The value
of those stolen so far runs to tens of thousands of pounds, and detectives
believe the thieves are making big profits. The sheer number of thefts suggests
that a large and organised criminal network is responsible.
Anyone who thinks they will be getting a bargain by buying
non-verified motor components is warned it could backfire.
"You might think you're getting a good deal and a cheap
offer but bear in mind these people are unscrupulous and they won't hesitate to
come back and revisit the places they've been sold to and you may well find
yourself the next victim," says Middleton. He urged anyone who knows who
is responsible for the thefts to come forward.
While the thefts appear odd, Middleton says it can be
distressing for victims to find their cars stripped down and later written off.
Anyone with information is urged to call police on 101,
or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The investigation into Vauxhall cannibals was shown on
BBC One's Crimewatch Roadshow, on 1 July - you
can catch up on BBC iPlayer
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