Residents of Moseley and Kings heath

The police are tirelessly working around the clock to protect your neighbourhood, your homes and your vehicles as well as trying to keep you safe . We are offering you some crime prevention tips which may help you keep your vehicles safe.  

Criminals are working 24/7 to steal car parts to then sell-on to criminal networks, Car cannibalism comes under this umbrella. And it's not just the wealthy owners of luxury vehicles that need be concerned. In fact, the most frequent targets are popular, smaller cars such as the Vauxhall Corsa, Toyota Yaris, Ford Fiesta, Toyota Aygo’s , and Renault Clio.

Vehicles are being stripped for parts wherever they are parked, rather than being stolen and dismantled at another location. This technique is fast, does not rely on the criminals transporting or storing vehicles, and is also harder to protect against. This is been carried out usually in the hours of darkness.

Bonnets, bumpers and headlights are being ripped from motors as part of a new crime trend dubbed Car cannibalism, with parked vehicles being picked to order by gangs.

 Experts have warned drivers that car cannibalism is on the rise and has provided a few tips to stop your motor from being targeted lot of the time, the parts that are stolen are those most commonly needed to repair a car after a minor crash

Always park your car in a safe area, even when parking  for short duration.

For long stays, private car parks and garages are the safest as they are usually locked and have CCTV or other security measures in place.

However, if you don’t have access to one of these, then a well-lit area with lots of footfall may be enough of a deterrent.

Since many of the parts being stolen are from the front of the vehicle, it could be useful to park facing a wall where possible to make the theft more difficult.

Mark your parts

It’s unlikely you’ll ever recover your parts if they are stolen, but marking them can make it easier for the Police to identify them, which means you potentially could get your stolen parts back.

In some cases, marked parts can be a deterrent if the thief notices the marking, as they’ll be more reluctant to steal a part that can be traced.

People buying the parts may also realise they have been stolen if they’re marked, and if so, they may be more likely to contact the police.  

Use technology

It’s worth putting a camera in your vehicle, such as a dash cam, if you haven’t already, and a tracker can help you locate your car in the event that it is stolen.

If you park in a driveway or just outside your home, a video camera on your property may catch the thieves in the act and prove useful to the police investigation.

A security light that goes on when it senses movement can even be enough of a deterrent, and both of these options may be cheaper than replacing the stolen parts.

"Taking precautions against theft and ensuring you have insurance are the best ways to protect your car from cannibalism."

Please take this information on board this crime can happen to anyone , Please take precautions, so that you can to prevent this increasing crime happening to you.