Car thefts are spiralling, and a big part of the problem comes down to Britain’s busiest port barely being policed. Criminal gangs are taking advantage, shipping stolen cars straight out of the UK to places like Africa and the Middle East.
At Felixstowe in Suffolk, the UK’s biggest container port, there’s just one police officer responsible for checking containers for stolen vehicles. Adam Gibson, the officer on duty, admits there’s “no way in hell” he can keep up. With 11,000 containers moving through every single day, the odds of catching stolen cars are tiny.
Across the whole of southern England, there are only three dedicated officers doing this job. And it shows. Industry figures suggest fewer than 5 in every 100,000 containers are searched, while gangs are getting smarter at hiding their loot.
Last year alone, nearly 130,000 cars were stolen in the UK. Many are smuggled abroad in containers, hidden among scrap metal to dodge scanners. Others are stripped for parts, which are in huge demand overseas, especially in the Middle East and Africa, where the second-hand car market is booming.
In one bust earlier this year, investigators cracked open a container at Felixstowe and found three stolen pick-up trucks, each worth around £40,000, stacked on top of each other. It wasn’t a one-off either. Officer Gibson says he’s seen up to five cars crammed into a single box, often with personal items like kids’ seats and toys still inside.
It’s not just luxury cars like Range Rovers getting taken anymore, although those still go missing, but also popular models like Hyundai, Kia, Toyota and Lexus. Gangs know they’re easier to shift and still bring in serious cash.
Experts warn that the rise in thefts is hitting drivers in the pocket. Insurance companies cover the losses, but that pushes everyone’s premiums up. What looks like “just another stolen car” ends up costing all of us.
