London car crime capital of the UK

London has been revealed as the UK’s car crime capital with four of its districts being named in the top 10 list of car crime hotspots for the past 18 months. In fact, the top three places are all taken by postcodes in the city.

Insurance specialist, Admiral studied data from 300,000 claims to compile the top 10 postcodes with the highest percentage of car crime, and found that Hackney had the highest incidence, followed by Clapham and Leyton. In Hackney almost a fifth of all insurance claims are for car crime. Areas of Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester also make it into the top 10.

Admiral managing director, Sue Longthorn, said, “We expect car crime to be higher in inner city areas, but it’s surprising to see that 40% of the top 10 are in one city, even if it is London. The sad fact is that people living in big cities are more likely to be victims of car crime.”

At the other end of the scale Admiral also compiled a list of the 10 locations with the lowest incidence of car crime in the last 18 months. This is dominated by towns in Scotland and the South of England:

1. Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire
2. Worthing, Sussex
3. Irvine, Ayshire
4. Ayr
5. Waterlooville, Hampshire

Sue Longthorn continued, “The good news is that the amount of car crime taking place is falling. Last year car crime claims fell by 5%, and more importantly, have fallen by 34% over the last five years mainly due to improvements in security within the motoring industry. But you should always be aware of making things as difficult for thieves as possible by effectively securing your car and not leaving valuables on show.”

Top tips for preventing car crime:

Don't leave anything on display - a pile of CDs, some loose change, or even a plastic bag can entice a thief. Never leave your satellite navigation system or mobile phone on display either.

Parking - at home, if you have a garage always park your car in it and lock it. If you don’t have a garage make sure you park your car in a well-lit area. When away from home try to park in an attended secure car park.

Car keys - always take your keys with you when you leave your car, locking it and closing any open windows as you do so. Never leave them on display at home as if a thief broke into your house they could then easily steal your car.