NCJ Number
188123
Date Published
January 2001
Length
48 pages
Annotation
Decoy vehicles constitute one tool British police use to apprehend those who commit vehicle-related crime; this report presents the findings of a case study of one such initiative in Cleveland Constabulary.
Abstract
Decoy vehicles can be used to target both thefts of and from vehicles. Decoy vehicles are selected to be similar to those vehicles most often targeted for theft, and they are parked in areas of high vehicle crime as "bait" for offenders. Decoy vehicles may be equipped with technical devices that can trap an offender inside the vehicle. This report first describes the results of a national survey of police forces regarding their use of decoy vehicles, highlighting issues that should be considered in their deployment. It then focuses on the decoy-vehicle initiative undertaken in Cleveland Constabulary, which used a decoy Ford Transit van. The report concludes with a number of recommendations for good practice in the use of decoy vehicles at a local level as well as the national level. The report advises that an effective decoy operation depends on accurate local-level analysis that determines the precise nature of the vehicle-crime problem, combined with a well-planned and implemented scheme. Further, the report notes that decoy vehicles should be viewed as just one component of a comprehensive strategy to counter a vehicle-crime problem. 6 tables, 5 figures, 29 references, and appended vehicle crime data for Cleveland from August 1995 to December 1998