Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help increase the charge rate for vehicle thefts in London.

Vehicle theft is a truly distressing crime and this Government recognises the negative impact vehicle thefts have had on individuals, businesses and industry.

In our Crime and Policing Bill, we have brought forward two new offences to criminalise the possession, importation, making, adapting, supplying or offering to supply an electronic device (such as a signal jammer) for use in theft of a vehicle or theft of anything in a vehicle.

We are committed to restoring and strengthening neighbourhood policing. Through our Safer Streets Mission, our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver thousands of neighbourhood police and community support officers, across England and Wales, to speed up response times and build public confidence.