Old Bexley and Sidcup MP Louie French has urged the London mayor to prioritise tackling vehicle theft after new figures revealed that criminals were caught in only one per cent of cases in the last twelve months.
According to Metropolitan Police figures, 33,373 vehicles were stolen in Greater London between February 2024 and January 2025. However, thieves were only caught and sanctioned in 368 cases.
Bexley has suffered the biggest increase in vehicle theft during this time, with offences jumping by 25% from 893 to 1,115. The borough now has the fifth-highest rate of vehicle theft behind Enfield, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham and Newham.
Despite the rise in Bexley, only 25 car thieves were caught in the borough in the same period. However, this was higher than in every other borough with high vehicle theft rates. Mr French says this is only down to the pioneering work of local Safer Neighbourhood Teams in Bexley, who recently caught 14 more car thieves locally.
In a letter to Sadiq Khan, Mr French said: "This crime inflicts a substantial financial loss on victims, who must pay for a new vehicle and potentially lose work until they do.
"They also feel vulnerable and anxious as car thieves go unpunished, with the community feeling the same anxiety and facing rising insurance premiums.
"Local Safer Neighbourhood Teams in my constituency have prioritised this and are pioneering efforts to stamp out vehicle theft. However, these gangs still go largely uncaught, and the police resources at a Basic Command Unit do not match the challenge."
Mr French also criticised the lack of action to tackle shoplifting, which has increased by 68% in Sidcup and 179% in Welling, and the failure to catch burglars, with only 16 caught in over two years despite 688 homes being broken into.
He added: "I welcome proposals in the plan to work with vehicle manufacturers to improve security, strengthen powers around antisocial behaviour, and impose tougher sentences on shoplifting. But these fall outside your powers as London mayor.
"Many across my constituency, myself included, remain unconvinced that your plan will deliver on the one thing you are responsible for above all else: giving the police the resources to investigate crimes, catch criminals, and be visible in neighbourhoods."
