Romford's MP has called for more policing on the town's streets after it was named the UK's vehicle theft capital.

Research from insurance comparison site MoneySupermarket published earlier this month showed the town topped the nationwide list for vehicle theft, with 19.87 vehicles reported stolen per 1,000 insurance enquiries made.

The data was taken from car insurance enquiries made on MoneySupermarket between September 2021 and August 2022.

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Andrew Rosindell has written to home secretary Suella Braverman on the matter and is urging her to call on London mayor Sadiq Khan to assign more officers to Romford and Havering as a whole.

Mr Rosindell wrote: "We need more police on the streets of Romford which will act as a deterrent."

A spokesperson for Mr Khan told the Recorder that Met Police figures showed an 11 per cent drop in theft or taking of a motor vehicle in Havering in the 12 months to September 2022 compared to the year ending February 2020.

They also said the number of officers across the East Area Basic Command Unit, which covers Havering, Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge, has risen by 400 since 2018.

"The mayor has invested more than £1billion in policing and is directly funding 1,300 police officers in our town centres and communities, helping to elevate Met officer numbers to their highest levels in history," the spokesperson added.

"The mayor is determined to work with the Met Commissioner to continue to drive down crime in all our neighbourhoods to build a safer London for everyone.” 

The Met Police said it has a dedicated team - Havering Joint Task Force - which proactively focuses on motor vehicle thefts.

So far in 2022, a spokesperson explained the team has made 29 arrests for theft of motor vehicles/taking without consent and recovered 109 stolen vehicles.

The force also gave advice to drivers on protecting their vehicles.

They said: "We strongly recommend the use of additional security features such as steering locks, using signal blocker pouches for keyless entry vehicles and fitting posts to driveways to put off a would-be thief."

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.

For more crime prevention tips, visit met.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/preventing-car-vehicle-theft/.

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