HPI supports Government vehicle crime busting initiatives

Vehicle information expert HPI has long supported the police in its efforts to solve vehicle crime and welcomes the announcement by the Home Office to boost the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service’s (AVCIS) with a much needed grant of £300,000. But says HPI, more can be achieved by removing information sharing barriers between the Government, law enforcement agencies and the motor industry. A broader approach to crime prevention and detection will further protect consumers and the motor trade from fraudulent activity.

Speaking at the AVCIS announcement, Industry Relations Director at HPI, Alan Bishop, said he believed that an injection in funding is just the start of what could be accomplished.

“Without question, the support between the Government, the police and the industry has been fundamental in radically reducing vehicle crime. HPI works very closely with AVCIS but there is still more that can be done. For example, access to new data sources, such as VOSA’s MoT data, would bring benefits in the on-going fight against clocking, a practice which directly affects consumers and also has safety implications for the vehicles on our roads,” explains Alan Bishop of HPI. “Furthermore, there are certain other data fields held by VOSA and DVLA that could help HPI prevent advertising scams known as ‘paper cars’, where a criminal uses a donor advert to sell a fictitious vehicle, and to prevent the growth in Cloned vehicles.”

HPI has access to an unrivalled level of information from a range of sources including the NPIA, DVLA, DVA, SMMT, finance companies, the Association of British Insurers (ABI), local government and the motor trade. In addition, there are more than 125 million mileage readings on HPI’s National Mileage Register, making it the most comprehensive mileage database in the UK.

“It is important to understand that the data used by HPI is generally non-personal data, based around the vehicle and not the driver. We take data security very seriously and have worked closely with all agencies and stakeholders to ensure that our working practices do not compromise this security,” adds Alan Bishop.

Home Office Minister, Alan Campbell said when he announced the new funding for AVCIS: 'Vehicle crime has fallen by 65% since 1995. This is a significant achievement that would not have been possible without the work of AVCIS. By coordinating police efforts nationally and working with industry, it has helped make Britain’s cars and vans much harder to steal.”