Liz Jarvis MP: car thefts out of control in Hampshire

Liz Jarvis MP: car thefts out of control in Hampshire

• Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary recorded a whopping 2,327 vehicle thefts in 2025, according to the latest official figures analysed by the Liberal Democrats.
• Just 1.8 per cent of cases resulted in the suspect being charged, while police failed to even identify a suspect in 73 per cent of cases.
• Liz Jarvis MP has blasted the Government for being ‘asleep at the wheel’ and calls for a return to proper neighbourhood policing to crack down on the issue.

Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, Liz Jarvis said:

“People in Eastleigh rely on their cars to get to work, take their children to school and get themselves to the doctors and essential services. It is an absolute scandal that more than 2,000 victims of crime are having their vehicles snatched from them across Hampshire, while the criminals get away scot-free.

“Car theft is not a victimless crime. Constituents have told me how shaken they feel after their car was taken from their driveway while they slept. Thieves are exploiting more sophisticated techniques to target high-value brands, and the police need the resources to up their game.

“How can we expect to deter would-be thieves when so few criminals are actually charged in Hampshire? The Government is asleep at the wheel and people in Eastleigh are paying the price.

“We urgently need to restore community policing to tackle car theft. For too long, forces have been left over stretched and underfunded, meaning they simply do not have the resources to respond.”

New figures from the Home Office, analysed by the Liberal Democrats, have revealed just 1.8 per cent of car thefts recorded by Hampshire police result in a charge, with 2,327 vehicles being reported as stolen last year.

Across Eastleigh, there has been a shocking spate of car thefts, which are going unsolved in 73 per cent of cases. The new data also reveals police are struggling to clamp down on the issue, with just 1.8 per cent of cases resulting in a charge. 

The Liberal Democrats have blasted the Government for failing to get a grip on the issue, and have said only by properly restoring community policing in Eastleigh will officers have the time and resources to respond to reports of theft. More visible police would also deter would-be thieves from brazenly taking people’s vehicles in plain sight.

The party has called for the formation of a specialist team based at the National Crime Agency. It would pool data from automatic number plate recognition cameras, insurance records and intelligence from police forces and border control to target organised car crime networks.