Only 30 of 2,270 reported vehicle thefts in Sutton and Croydon resulted in a positive outcome, such as a charge or conviction, according to new Met Police figures for July 2025 to July 2026. This equates to roughly 1.3 per cent of reported thefts, leaving residents and an MP concerned about police resources and investigation practices.
Residents describe repeated thefts and frustration
Khuram Ijaz, a restaurant owner from Camden Road, Sutton, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that his family had two cars stolen from their driveway within 12 months. The first, a Mercedes GLA, was taken almost three years ago after thieves entered through a window and took keys from inside the family home. Around a year later, a BMW X3 was stolen while the family slept.
“We woke up and there was no car,” Khuram said, noting that a baby car seat, buggy and other belongings were inside. “It was a family car.” Although insurance covered the vehicle, some belongings were not covered. Police attended after the first theft, but no fingerprints were found because suspects wore gloves. Khuram said the family received “no update about whether the police had found the car at all”.
“In my opinion, they need more police in the area and bring stricter law,” he added. “The law is very soft here.”
Figures show Croydon as London’s car theft capital
Another Sutton resident, Jill Whitehead, said her second-hand hybrid Toyota was stolen from her front drive about 18 months ago. “I woke up one morning, looked out of the window and the car wasn’t there,” she told the LDRS. Jill claimed police closed her case around two hours after she reported the theft, which she called “shocking”. She suspected a gang may have hacked key fobs of her car and nearby vehicles.
Jill said people at a local café told her several others had suffered similar thefts, with some not reporting them because they “didn’t think it would do anything”. She expressed concern that closing cases quickly prevented police from linking incidents. “My concern is their inability to make links between cases if they close them so quickly,” she said.
The Met’s figures show Croydon recorded 1,798 vehicle theft offences during the period, the highest of any London borough. Sutton recorded considerably fewer and ranked 30th for car crime in London.
MP criticises ‘appalling record’ and calls for community policing
Bobby Dean, Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington, described the level of positive outcomes as an “appalling record”. He said the figures risk sending a message to organised criminals that car theft in London has been “effectively decriminalised”. While welcoming Sutton’s relatively low theft rate, he said every unresolved theft was an injustice for victims.
“People want to know that if their car is stolen, the police will investigate and bring those responsible to justice,” Mr Dean said. “Instead, when I speak to victims they say the police show up and simply give them a crime reference number.” He added: “We urgently need to restore community policing. For too long police teams have been left overstretched and underfunded.”
The Metropolitan Police said it understood the “significant impact of car theft, from financial loss to the inconvenience to those who rely on vehicles”. A spokesperson told the LDRS: “Through targeted patrols in theft hotspots across South London, and using intelligence to identify repeat offenders, we continue to reduce neighbourhood crime.”
The Met reported that theft across London had fallen by 21 per cent since April 2025. It urged people to report vehicle theft “as soon as possible” so officers can respond quickly, maximise recovery opportunities and take offenders off the streets.
