Stolen cars worth £1million including Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin & Mercedes found hidden away in garage after raid
A FLEET of stolen cars with a total value of £1million were found stashed away in a garage following a police raid.
A Rolls-Royce worth £250,000 was one of several stolen supercars recovered by Essex Police from a lock-up in North Benfleet.
Two of the vehicles had been stolen from the London area whilst four had been taken from within Essex.
The Stolen Vehicle Intelligence Unit (SVIU) led teams from the Operational Policing Command who joined forces with Basildon Local Policing Team to carry out the warrant at industrial units in North Benfleet on February 5.
Officers found a Rolls-Royce Cullinan worth £250,000, an Aston Martin DB11 convertible valued at £70,000 and a Mercedes-Benz AMG GT valued at £40,000 at the scene, alongside a Range Rover Vogue.
A Jeep Wrangler and a Toyota Alphard were located in two storage containers.
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All six vehicles were intact.
Further evidence gathered at the scene to support the investigation shows more vehicles have been through the site, with an estimated total value of just under £1m.
Chief Inspector Dan McHugh said: "This was a great piece of work by all those involved.
"In just 12 hours from information being pieced together to obtaining a warrant, teams from across the force worked together to recover six high value cars.
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"Our initial enquires estimate almost £1m worth of cars may have gone through this site and the Rolls-Royce was recovered just 24 hours after it was stolen.
“Our work doesn’t end now we’ve found the cars: we’ll continue to investigate to identify and arrest those responsible for the thefts and reunite the vehicles with their owners."
Chief Inspector McHugh added: "Our SVIU play an important role in leading the force’s response to tackle this type of crime.
“They regularly seize stolen cars within hours of them being taken, examine them and use that intelligence to locate other missing vehicles.
How to keep your car safe from thieves
A car is stolen in the UK every eight minutes, according to the latest figures from the DVLA, with 64,087 vehicles reported stolen in 2023.
Here are a number of ways you can reduce the chance of your car being nicked.
Think about where you park the car
Try and choose the safest place possible to leave your vehicle - well-lit places are an immediate deterrent while a car park that has CCTV security cameras will help put off criminals.
Parking when you get home is also important. If your driveway is visible from the road, then it may attract crooks more easily.
Where you put your keys is important
It might sound obvious, but you should always remember to lock and secure your car.
Never be tempted to leave it idling – such as when defrosting it on a cold winter’s morning, because that’s exactly when opportunist thieves will act.
Never put your keys somewhere that’s easily in sight, and try and put them as far away from the car as possible.
Faraday pouch for keyless cars
If you have a car with keyless tech, then the best advice is to invest in a faraday pouch or box.
Available from around £5, you can put your keys inside and then seal the pouch or box, which should stop crooks connecting with any ‘keyless’ signals and gaining access to the vehicle.
Invest in a steering lock
An obvious physical deterrent is another great idea to help keep your vehicle safer and one of the best is a steering lock.
They were frequently in use a few decades ago, but in an age of keyless cars, they’ve made a comeback.
Install ‘ghost’ immobilisers and trackers
All new cars these days have an immobiliser, but did you know you can add another step by fitting a ‘ghost’ immobiliser?
This is where a certain button or number sequence needs to be entered before the car will start.
It means that even if someone has your keys, they won’t be able to start the vehicle without knowing the pin code.
Take out any valuables
One of the easiest steps you can take to prevent your car from attracting thieves is to take out any valuables that may be on show.
It’s worth putting any bags or boxes (even if inexpensive items) into the boot or at least out of sight.
Never put yourself in danger
There’s one thing you should never do, and that’s put yourself in danger.
Some car thieves will be part of large organised crime networks, and will not stop at using violence in order to take your car.
Putting yourself in harm’s way is just not worth the risk.
";Their intelligence-led approach shows their determination to tackle vehicle theft as a force priority in which we’ll do all we can to disrupt offenders’ activities by using and sharing intelligence with colleagues, partners and other forces and targeting the use of road networks in an effort to make Essex a hostile place to commit vehicle crime.
"We are dedicating time and resources to target criminals committing any form of vehicle crime and we’d ask the public to support us and get in contact with us if they have information that could help us locate a stolen vehicle or identify those concerned in vehicle crime."
