Motoring Discussion > BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Meldrew Replies: 12
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 07:02 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Meldrew
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24956337 . This article claims that, at £300 million a year, art theft is second only to drug dealing in terms of financial loss. Bearing in mind that WhatCar stated in 2005 that car crime cost £2.1 billion, I am inclined to think the BBC have got their figures wrong!

"The theft of or from vehicles has fallen 30% since 1999 but millions of motorists are still affected and annual car crime costs the UK £2.1 billion"

What do you think?
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 18 Nov 13 at 01:12
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 08:01 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Roger.
BBC, staffed by Guardianistas, think ART (Capitalised) is more important than transport?
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 09:22 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Meldrew
They have just broadcast this dubious claim on the Breakfast TV News as well. I have emailed Beeb to query their source(s)!
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 09:37 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Bromptonaut
The report seems to be talking about the proceeds of organised crime rather than value of what is lost damaged. The comparison with drug dealing also suggests a focus on a specific area of criminal industry.

While there is a trade in spiriting cars way for export for sale or spares it's a small part of the autocrime picture. A lot of damage/cost is consequential on theft of accessories form sat nav to alloys (probably to pay the drug dealers).

Joy riders are not making money either.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sun 17 Nov 13 at 09:39
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 10:52 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Meldrew
I think that the profits/proceeds/turnover of car crime well exceed the same aspects of art crime.
For a start, which one has the larger insurance pay-outs?
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 09:54 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Zero
>> www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24956337. This article claims that, at £300 million a year, art theft is second only
>> to drug dealing in terms of financial loss. Bearing in mind that WhatCar stated in
>> 2005 that car crime cost £2.1 billion, I am inclined to think the BBC have
>> got their figures wrong!


I'd be rechecking my own sources rather than emailing the BBC on the basis of 8 year old well out of date information
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 10:46 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Meldrew
And I'd be reckoning the the situation will not have improved in the last 8 years.
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 11:24 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - sherlock47
I have always held the view that the countrys criminal fraternity need a certain income to maintain their way of life. If you cut off an income stream (eg making cars difficult to steal, or legalising drug supply) they will find an alternative way of generating money. It may then affect different segments of society in different ways. Not a perfect model I know, but would be interested if we have any aspiring criminologists who have a view?
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 13:02 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Boxsterboy
I'm no criminologist, Sherlock, but what you say makes sense to me. Drug dealers deal drugs to make money, not because they have a peverse desire to see people ruin themselves. If you legalise drugs they will need alternative 'income'. And so on.
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 17:35 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Cliff Pope
Art crime probably doesn't cost "us" anything at all, because very few people possess stealable art.
Whereas everyone has a car, and even cheap cars get stolen and push up insurance costs.
Also art doesn't get broken up and recycled, it simply gets diverted to other art lovers. So the "cost" is really only a transfer of money from one lot of art lovers to another.

A proportion of car theft however represents a real loss, because new cars have to be made to replace those destroyed.
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 17:40 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Meldrew
Insurance pay outs?
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 17:41 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Zero
>> And I'd be reckoning the the situation will not have improved in the last 8
>> years.

And I'd be reckoning you'd be wrong.
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New Sun 17 Nov 13 18:03 
 BBC claims art theft costs us more than car crime! - Meldrew
Car theft over all is down, over the last 8 years, but I think the cost of it, however calculated, still exceeds the costs of art theft.
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