With data from 40 police forces, the research shows that the number of cats (catalytic converters) reported stolen increased from 3,957 in 2010 to 8,947 in 2012. During the first half of 2013 alone almost 4,500 thefts have already been recorded.
In an interview with Transport News Brief, James Mackay, sales and development manager at CatLoc, explained that 4×4, fleet and light commercial vehicles are targeted because of easy access.
‘They are quite high and you don’t need any equipment to get underneath them. You simply go under the vehicle and unbolt the system itself’, said Mackay.
‘Thieves don’t like being disturbed or hindered in what they are doing. If you have 20-30 vans parked in a yard you are not going to get disturbed, so it’s an ideal opportunity for them.’
Mackay advises that fleet operators should consider investing in a catalytic converter security system.
‘You should look around at what solutions are out there. We know we are not the only ones out there. The locking system does exactly what it says as it acts as a visual deterrent, with anti tamper bolts and International Security Register markings. It makes the catalytic converter worthless to a thief as it has traceable markings on it.’
The introduction of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act is also helping act as a deterrent to thieves selling to scrap yards, as it bans all cash payments in order to make tracing easier.