Vehicle Crime Update & Purchasing awareness

Good Evening,

Vehicle Crime, in particular Theft of Motor Vehicle, is a significant problem raised by many of you throughout the wards and the team are doing what they can to target this offending. Lexus vehicles are currently one of our main vehicles being targeted in the area for theft of motor vehicle alongside Kia model vehicles, all of which are stolen by keyless theft means. If you own a Lexus model i urge consideration in regards to security measures such as a full steering lock and also tracker equipment to deter any thefts. This week the team recovered numerous stolen vehicles, some of which were stolen very recently. One of note is a Red Lexus which was parked on Ewelme Road. The vehicle was displaying a registration plate however the vehicles Vehicle Identification Numbers had all been altered to look genuine, when in fact they wasn't. This vehicle was stolen two years ago from East London and had been driven around by criminals whilst under a false identity. This is a common method used by criminals who also exploit hard working people by selling altered/cloned vehicles on selling sites such as Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree. 

There has been many instances of people purchasing vehicles on Facebook Marketplace and others, often paying significant amounts of money under the belief the vehicle is genuine. The seller will provide false documents such as driving licences and vehicle log books completely deceiving victims. The team have been involved in many situations whereby we have had to break the news to victims that their car they have spent their money on is in fact a stolen vehicle under a false identity, leaving them confused, lost and feeling completely devastated. 

If you see any vehicles parked that you think are suspicious, possibly stolen, please dont hesitate to contact the team who will always check to ensure it is legitimate or not. Forest Hill SNT will be holding a street meeting in regards to vehicle crime on the 18th December 2025 at 1700hours on LIPHOOK CRESCENT if you wish to raise concerns or speak to officers around this subject.