THE Government has been blasted by local MP Rachel Gilmour for being ‘asleep at the wheel’ as the latest Home Office figures showed jut 2.4 per cent of car thieves in Avon and Somerset end up in court.

Mrs Gilmour called for a return to ‘proper neighbourhood policing’ to crack down on car theft crime.

New figures from the Home Office revealed only 2.4 per cent of car thefts recorded by Avon and Somerset Constabulary resulted in a charge, with 3,167 vehicles reported as stolen last year.

Mrs Gilmour said across the police force area there had been a ‘shocking’ spate of car thefts, the majority of which were going unsolved.

More than 73 per cent of cases were not solved, and the data also showed police were struggling to clamp down on the issue.

Mrs Gilmour’s Tiverton and Minehead constituency covers West Somerset and parts of the Blackdown Hills and Culm Valley, as well as some of the parishes bordering Wellington.

She said the Government was failing to ‘get a grip on the issue’, and only by properly restoring community policing would officers have the time and resources to respond to reports of theft.

More visible police would also deter would-be thieves from brazenly taking people’s vehicles in plain sight.

Generic Police Picture
Only 2.4 per cent of car thefts in Avon and Somerset see criminals brought to court, MP Rachel Gilmour says. (Tindle News)

Mrs Gilmour said residents in many parts of her constituency were restricted by poor public transport infrastructure, meaning they were dependent on their personal vehicles to access vital NHS services, see loved ones, or travel to work and school.

She called for the formation of a specialist team based at the National Crime Agency which could pool data from automatic number plate recognition cameras, insurance records, and intelligence from police forces and Border Control to target organised car crime networks.

Mrs Gilmour, said: “People rely on their cars to get to work, take their kids to school, and get themselves to the doctor and essential services.

“It is an absolute scandal that 3,167 victims of crime are having their vehicles snatched from them, while the criminals get away scot-free.

“How on earth can we expect to deter would-be thieves from nicking people’s cars when so few criminals are ever actually charged, in Avon and Somerset, or anywhere else?

“The Government is asleep at the wheel, and people in my constituency are paying the price.

“We urgently need to restore community policing to tackle car theft.

“For too long, forces have been left over-stretched and underfunded, meaning they simply do not have the resources to respond.”

Meanwhile, police have reported a rise in car thefts across Somerset during the recent heatwave weather.

Many incidents involved burglars targeting insecure properties to steal car keys to drive off with vehicles parked outside.

Supt Ronald Lungu, said: “While summer brings longer, brighter days, the warmer weather also sees an increase in opportunistic burglaries and car thefts.

“During periods of hot weather, people are more likely to leave windows, doors, or vehicles open.

“Even when trying to keep cool, it is important not to compromise your security.”