Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
Subscribe Today!
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
The North's vehicle crime hotspots revealed in new police figures
Encouragingly, while overall vehicle thefts across NI have risen slightly by 3% year-on-year, seven out of the 11 council areas have seen a drop in offences
Derry City and Strabane district is the fourth most prolific areas for vehicle crime in Northern Ireland.
Reporter:
Staff Reporter
29 Oct 2025 12:00 PM
Email:
news@derrynow.com
The most prolific areas for vehicle crime in Northern Ireland have been revealed in new police figures.
Data gathered by motoring experts CompareNI.com shows there have been 3,110 vehicle thefts across the country over the last three years – with a further 2,815 incidents of items being stolen from vehicles.
The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request to the PSNI, also reveal that between April 2022- March 2025, Belfast made up a third of all vehicle theft offences (1,024) and almost half of all theft from vehicle offences (1,341).
Outside the capital, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council was the second hardest hit region with 297 vehicle thefts, with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon coming a close third at 296 incidents.
At the other end of the scale, Ards and North Down ranks as the safest area to own a vehicle, with 136 stolen over the three-year-period, followed by Fermanagh and Omagh (149) Mid and East Antim (152).
When it comes to items being stolen from vehicles, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council was also the worst region outside Belfast, with 288 offences reported. That figure is three times higher than in Causeway Coast and Glens, which recorded the lowest number of thefts from vehicle offences at 96.
Encouragingly, while overall vehicle thefts across NI have risen slightly by 3% year-on-year, seven out of the 11 council areas have seen a drop in offences.
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon showed the biggest decline, down 30% from 116 vehicles taken in 2023/24 to 81 in the most recent 12-month period.
Meanwhile, Lisburn and Castlereagh saw the sharpest increase in vehicle thefts during the same period - up by 54 per cent from 41 to 63.
When measured against other UK regions, Northern Ireland has a comparatively low rate of vehicle thefts per population, equating to 161 offences per 100,000 people. In contrast, the West Midlands has the highest rate of offences with 42,863 vehicles taken, which is 1,451 thefts per 100,000 people.
Ian Wilson, car insurance expert and Managing Director at CompareNI.com urged motorists to take action to help reduce the chances of vehicle crime.
He said: “Having your car or van broken into or stolen is not just distressing and inconvenient, it can have lasting financial repercussions, including higher insurance premiums, loss of your no-claims discount and the cost of replacing any personal belongings that may not be covered by insurance.
“While it is positive to see that vehicle crime has dropped in many parts of Northern Ireland over the last year, the number of overall offences has seen a small increase, and it remains a persistent issue in some areas - particularly in Belfast.
“If you are living in areas with higher rates of vehicle crime, you may find yourself paying more for insurance, due to the increased risk of theft or break-ins. While there isn’t much you can do about your location, there are some precautions you can take to make your vehicle less of a target to would-be thieves and help reduce the cost of your insurance.”
Five tips to help prevent vehicle crime:
Park somewhere safe: Parking in a garage or on a private driveway may be enough to deter opportunistic criminals and could help lower insurance premiums, as providers can factor in the lower risk. In fact, data suggests drivers can save over £140 on average each year by parking on a driveway compared to a public road.*
Beware keyless theft: Tech-savvy criminals can use specialist equipment to hack open and start a vehicle if the key fob is nearby. To prevent these relay attacks at home, make sure the fob is not stored near any doors or windows, making it harder for thieves to capture its signal. For added peace of mind, consider storing the fob in a signal-blocking security pouch.**
Consider extra security: Upgrading a factory-fitted immobiliser to an advanced or ‘ghost’ immobiliser can protect vehicles against the most sophisticated theft techniques, including key cloning, hacking or relay attacks.***
Visual deterrents: Steering wheel locks and wheel clamps are a simple and affordable way to make vehicles less appealing targets to opportunistic thieves, who rely on a quick getaway.
Keep valuables out of sight: While it may seem obvious, one of the easiest ways to prevent vehicle crime is to remove the temptation for criminals. Don’t leave any belongings on display – even a shopping bag on the back seat or loose change in the cup holder could be enough to pique a thief’s interest.
CompareNI.com helps hundreds of thousands of drivers every year find savings on car insurance, as well as niche items such as taxi, van and 4x4 insurance.
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW
4
To continue reading this article, please subscribe and support local journalism!
Subscribing will allow you access to all of our premium content and archived articles.
Subscribe
To continue reading this article for FREE, please kindly register and/or log in.
Registration is absolutely 100% FREE and will help us personalise your experience on our sites. You can also sign up to our carefully curated newsletter(s) to keep up to date with your latest local news!
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy a paper
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
