What is the best method of vehicle identification to improve the chances of recovery after theft?
Some vehicles are stolen for use in a further crime, some to be broken for parts, and some are stolen to be sold - either within the same country or shipped overseas.
When a vehicle is stolen to be sold, the criminals need to change the vehicle identification if they are to avoid being traced or caught handling a stolen vehicle. This means fooling any second hand buyer of the vehicle, and potentially police investigators, into believing that all the identification is genuine.
Thieves have therefore built up a large awareness and skill level in changing the common identification marks such as the VIN plate, chassis stamp or additional VIN labels that are required by legislation.
Insurance companies provide some incentive for alternative identification through the offer of insurance premium discounts for approved marking systems. National governments also investigate alternatives such as microdots for new legislation, but these schemes rarely reach the market due to the cost implications.
The pressure is therefore on vehicle manufacturers to provide improved identification on new vehicles, but this comes at huge cost to the manufacturer, and it’s the manufacturer that gains least from the benefits - no vehicle is sold to a customer on the strength of its identification markings.
Manufacturers, and thieves, also know that not all forms of identification will be checked in any investigation - especially where covert markings may be difficult to reach or require significant time and specialist equipment to read.
If the markings aren’t checked then they give no benefit to the police, insurers, vehicle manufacturers or vehicle owners.
Police expertise is falling as a result of stolen vehicle investigation units being closed down around the world and thieves know they only need to make basic identification changes to avoid capture.
Published: February 2012
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Vehicle manufacturers are faced with a challenge - what level of vehicle identification to offer in order to meet varied global legislation and insurance requirements, without incurring cost and often in the absence of clear customer benefits. To make the right decision, manufacturers will have to consider the benefits and features of various methods and techniques, understand the cost of implementation and learn what investigators prefer and what methods act as the largest deterrent for thieves.
This report is a single authoritative source that will ensure you are fully informed about different vehicle identification strategies. It includes a global overview of performance and approval criteria and examples of what thieves are doing to remove or replace the carefully placed markings. All mandatory and optional markings are explained, including additional techniques available to vehicle manufacturers as line fit or aftermarket products. Cost, tamper resistance and usefulness to an investigator are evaluated and compared for each available solution to provide manufacturers with a guide to choose the best one.
It’s getting easier for the criminals.
The challenge is therefore to find and fit vehicle identification that thieves either don’t know about or can’t easily change, that investigators and the public can easily check, and that proves cost effective for the vehicle manufacturer.
This report analyses the various types and forms of vehicle identification, from simple vehicle registration plates or chassis stamps, to sophisticated electronic traceability of parts, rating each in the areas of additional cost, tamper resistance and usefulness for investigation, building a clear strategy for vehicle identification that satisfies the demand.
This report will help you:
Ensure your vehicle remains secure by understanding how thieves overcome existing identification techniques;
Learn about legislation for vehicle identification across the world and how to meet the varied requirements;
Decide on which technology to invest in by analysing the different methods and their features and implementation costs;
Gain SBD expert recommendations for building a successful vehicle identification strategy.
