Staffordshire Police

If your car is stolen you should:

• contact the police as soon as possible calling 101. Only dial 999 if the crime is taking place
• it is helpful if you can give full details of the make, model and registration number of the vehicle
• if thieves break into your vehicle, you will be asked how it was done – for instance by breaking a side window
• make a list of what has been stolen from the vehicle, giving as many details as possible
• ask people living nearby if they saw anything suspicious
• make sure you tell the police at once if potentially dangerous medication has been stolen.

What will the police do?

Normally officers do not attend the scene of a car crime as the offence may have been committed several hours earlier and the offender has gone. However, the police will respond to your call in a number of ways.

Calls are taken by telephone investigators on the public service desk who will ask you a number of questions about what has been stolen and take detailed descriptions.

If your vehicle has been stolen, officers will be briefed to keep an eye out in the local area for it. Its details will also be put onto the Police National Computer so that officers from all over the country will know that the vehicle has been reported stolen.

Staffordshire Police manages these reports in this way so that they can respond to the incident more quickly. It also ensures front-line officers are not taken off patrol to complete paperwork. It also saves you the time and inconvenience of having to arrange a face-to-face interview with an officer. The call-taker will give you a crime reference number, which you should quote if you need to make future enquiries.

Officers will try to let you know how your case is going and you will be told if someone is arrested and charged. Obviously, you can make enquiries yourself at any stage by contacting the public service desk and quoting your crime reference number.

Unfortunately it is not possible to forensically examine all vehicles which have been subjected to criminal activity. A vehicle will only be checked for fingerprints in exceptional circumstances, and the person taking your call will decide, based on the available evidence.

What will happen if your vehicle is found?

If your vehicle is found, every effort will be made to contact you as soon as possible. The vehicle will be recovered for its own safety by an approved garage. You will be asked to collect it and there will be a charge for the recovery. Storage charges may apply if you don’t collect it within 24 hours of being notified.

What if you see a vehicle crime being committed?

If you see someone trying to break into a vehicle, ring 999. Officers will try to respond as quickly as possible. However, if they do not arrive in time, note down as many details which could help identify the criminal as possible (height, build, hair colour and style, clothing and any distinctive marks). You should also make a note of the vehicle’s registration number.

You may be asked to write a statement at the scene or, if it is more convenient, at a police station. If the offence has just taken place, officers may ask you to drive round the area with them see if you can spot the offender.

It is possible that you may be asked to look at photos to try to pick the offender out. If you are asked to help as a witness at an identification parade many stations have special, one-way screens through which you can view the proceedings in complete privacy. Your address will not be included in any statement given to defence lawyers.

Will you qualify for compensation?

You should be able to claim from your own vehicle insurance. Apart from this, the only other source of compensation is in damages from the offender if they are caught.

Make a note of any expenses that have arisen due to your loss, with receipts where possible – you may get them awarded to you in damages by the court if the offender is caught.

Crimestoppers

If you know of anyone who is involved with vehicle crime, but are afraid of coming forward, then you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. You could be entitled to a reward of up to £1,000.