If you car was stolen in the last ten years, there’s more than half a chance that you will never see your beloved motor ever again.

Those are the harsh facts of car crime in the UK after Freedom of Information requests revealed that UK police were unable to recover 55 per cent of cars stolen over the past 10 years.

The research, which was conducted by AutoExpress found that there were 522,214 cars stolen between 2009 and 2018, a shocking statistic on its own, but made far worse when you learn that only 236,636 were ever recovered. And if you had you car stolen in the past 12 months, the rate of return was at its lowest in the past 10 years, a worrying trend showing that police are finding it harder than ever to find stolen cars. The decline has been blamed on falling police numbers, it is estimated that 20,000 officers have left the force since 2010.

Simon Williams, RAC insurance spokesperson, told AutoExpress: "Drivers might be surprised to discover that on average less than half of vehicles stolen from these police force areas end up being recorded as recovered, with the proportion in some parts of the country far lower than this.

"Combine this with the fact that vehicle thefts are actually increasing and a rather alarming picture is painted."

There are some encouraging signs though, and it seems that the police forces of the UK could learn a thing or two from the police in Merseyside, they have a recovery rate of 75.27, meaning that three out of four cars stolen around Liverpool are returned to their owners. At the other end of the scale, only one in five of cars stolen in Dorset are returned.

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