‘They stripped my car for parts’: Cost of rural Land Rover Defender theft rockets by 87% to £2.6m
Date of alert:
Thursday, 25 August 2022
Crime Ref:
Force:
Staffordshire Police
The cost of Land Rover Defender theft has rocketed by 87 per cent, new findings show.
NFU Mutual has reported that theft of the model from rural communities and businesses amounts to £2.6m.
Data shows Defender theft increased by 34 per cent in 2021, after a slight lull in 2020 but now it is on course to increase again in 2022.
The insurer is now urging farmers and other rural Land Rover Defender owners to take the necessary security measures to protect their vehicles.
DC Chris Piggott from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service says the older Land Rover Defender models are particularly vulnerable because of a lack of modern security systems.
He said: “Owners should therefore fortify their vehicles as much as possible, using a combination of measures such as immobilisers, tracking devices and pedal and steering wheel locks.
