Data from South Yorkshire Police has revealed that the count of car theft crimes in Sheffield has increased in almost every postcode since 2018.
There has been 1068 more car theft crimes between 2018 and 2023 in Sheffield.
Ben Miskell, Councillor for Park and Arbourthorne, Deputy Leader of Sheffield Labour and the Chair of Transport, Regeneration and Climate Committee said: “We’ve seen police numbers decimated and people feel less safe.
“Worryingly we’ve also seen a collapse in the proportion of crimes solved… Sheffield deserves better.”
Biggest hotspot areas include S2 (Park and Abourthorne), S5 (Hillsborough/Southey), S6 (Stannington) and S9 (Shiregreen and Brightside)
The chart above shows the change in car theft crime statistics since 2018.
Charlie Hardon-Jones is a resident in S10, where there has been an average of 137 thefts since 2018, says: “It’s poor from the police to be honest.
“I like Sheffield because it’s meant to be a safe city but just like anywhere else, people robbing cars is just becoming more and more of an issue.”
Overall, car theft crime numbers have increased 71.8% since 2018 – a steady increase.
The highest average number of car theft crimes is in S9, with an average of 172 thefts each year.
The lowest car theft rates have been in S19, S60 and S61, with five thefts in 2023 in S61 and none in S19 or S60.
The Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire has been contacted about the statistics, but did not provide comment.
South Yorkshire Police have issued a warning over the increase in car thefts in the city, with Road Policing Inspector Matt Collings saying:
“Unfortunately, we have recently seen an increase in car thefts across the force.
“Thieves will be looking for easy opportunities and do not care who their victims are and what impact they leave behind.
“We want to take this opportunity to remind our residents of the simple and easy ways you can secure your vehicles against theft.
“Please act now. Stolen cars and criminals behind the wheel pose a huge risk on our roads, as those involved in stealing the vehicles are more likely to take greater risks.”
Police advice to help prevent car theft includes:
- Using a steering lock
- Parking on your driveway or a well-lit area
- Installing a CCTV/ring doorbell device
- Removing all valuables from inside the vehicle, including phones, house keys, bags, purses and wallets
- Closing all windows and ensuring your vehicle is locked every time you leave it
- Keeping your keys safe and out of view when at home. If your car has keyless entry, make sure you store your keys away from your front door to stop signal boosting devices
Full table data can be seen below:
