FOI REF: FOI-2023-1514
You asked
In the year 2022 and 2021, how many reports of vehicle registration number change has there been in the UK?
In the year 2022 and 2021, how many reports of stolen vehicles have there been in the UK?
Do you, the police or trading standards work with, register or share any vehicle registration number change data with companies such as – https://carcheckup.co.uk (or any other similar companies) - If so, what data is registered and/or shared?
We said
Thank you for your request.
We are responsible for publishing data on vehicle thefts from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) and Police recorded crime (PRC).
The face-to-face CSEW was suspended on 17 March 2020 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A telephone-operated version of the CSEW (TCSEW) was specifically designed to allow us to continue measuring crime during this period while face-to-face interviewing is not possible. Due to the change in methodology, data from the CSEW and TSCEW are not directly comparable.
In the year ending December 2021 the Telephone Crime Survey for England and Wales (TCSEW) estimated 38,000 vehicles were stolen. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated there were 86,000 vehicles stolen in the year ending December 2022. These figures can be found in table A1 of the appendix tables published quarterly.
For vehicle thefts against individuals and households the Crime Survey for England and Wales is the preferred measure as it is unaffected by police recording practices. However, police recorded crime does include thefts against businesses. Police recorded data can be found in table A4 of the appendix tables linked above. For more detail on preferred measures please see section 5 of the User Guide to crime statistics for England and Wales.
We do not hold data on vehicle registration number changes. However, its important to note that at the ONS, we treat the data we hold with respect, keeping it secure and confidential. To support statistical production and research, we will sometimes allow access to the information we hold for these purposes only, and only where it is lawful to do so. Therefore, even if we did hold vehicle registration changes, this information would not be shared by us for the purposes described.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) may be able to assist you further with your queries. They can be contacted at: foi@dvla.gov.uk
The Home Office may be able to advise on whether the police work with any vehicle registration companies. They can be contacted at: CrimeandPoliceStats@homeoffice.gov.uk
Trading standards may be able to advise on if they share any data with vehicle registration companies. They can be contacted at institute@tsi.org.uk.