14/09/2009 - Vans 'targeted most by thieves'
Light commercial vehicles increasingly attracting thieves' attention, with the Ford Transit van being the most common vehicle stolen last year.
Vans are targeted because of a lack of 'ownership', which means keys are commonly left in vehicles or are left in easily accessible places on sites and at depots.
As many as 150,000 vans, with an average age of 11 years, were stolen last year - proving that older vehicles are also targeted.
According to the police vehicle crime intelligence service (AVCIS), the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has now become one of the most common vehicles to be cloned.
It is thought that most stolen vans are broken for parts or are shipped out of the country, while others are cloned and sold on in the UK.
Cloning of vans has been made easier following the loss of 2.2 million V5 registration documents from a DVLA printer.
The blank documents, which have the serial numbers beginning BG and BI, were meant to have been destroyed by the printer but some and possibly all 2.2 million have benefited the fraudsters.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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