NCJ Number
115097
Journal
Home Office Research and Planning Unit Research Bulletin Issue: 21 Dated: (1986) Pages: 18-20
Date Published
1986
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article first describes abuses of Great Britain's auto import procedures -- which include vehicle theft, defrauding second-hand car buyers, and avoiding customs duty -- and then describes an initiative undertaken by criminal justice and other government agencies to reduce such crimes.
Abstract
Preliminary examination revealed that the import system offered a means of procuring a new identity for a stolen vehicle often an expensive model. An overview of proposed preventive measures addresses the difficulties involved in tightening security at points of entry to Great Britain. Instead, Customs and Excise (C&E) altered its forms and procedures at relatively little cost. Forms were printed on special security paper, and steps were taken to insure that the forms were more comprehensively completed than in the past and more readily retraceble. Third, C&E made sure that officials never handed out blank copies of the import document and that each one issued had a Customs stamp. Police records indicate that auto thefts involving fraudulent import documents dropped substantially in the 14 months following the introduction of new forms and procedures.