Women are falling victim to car crime in increasing numbers because thieves see them as easier targets than men. Figures released last week by Britain’s biggest police force show the number of carjacking incidents in London jumped by 25% between 2004 and 2005 and police say that many of the new victims are women.

The sharp rise is attributed partly to better car security, which has made it harder for thieves to steal cars by breaking in and hotwiring them. Officers admit women, especially those travelling alone, are more likely to be targeted by thieves trying to steal keys.

“If a criminal sees two vehicles he would like to steal and one is driven by a man and another by a woman, they are more likely to target the woman driver because, rightly or wrongly, they will perceive her as more vulnerable,” said a Metropolitan police spokesman. “Women’s handbags are also a very attractive proposition for thieves and they usually contain car keys.”

At least 85% of modern cars — that is, those registered since 1997 — are driven away with keys, according to government research. Of those, 37% of keys were obtained by burglary and 4% by robbery (including carjacking and thefts from bags). The figures relate to 2001 when the Home Office did its most recent study.

There were 721 reported carjackings in London in 2005 although police say the figure may be higher because carjacking is not usually recorded as a separate offence and is often treated as robbery. Burglary purely to take car keys has risen by about 40% in London in the past five years.

Car thefts involving keys not obtained by burglary or robbery are usually the result of people leaving keys in the car or ignition, copied keys or keys taken without consent by someone known to the owner. The three most common type of key thefts are:

The bag-thief victim

Handbags are seen as easy prey for thieves who pluck keys from them while women are chatting with friends or queueing at a till. By the time the victim realises the keys are missing the thief is already many miles down the road.

Krissy Hodgkinson, an assistant picture editor from Charlton, south London, always kept her car keys in the front pocket of her handbag for easy access. On April 2 she parked her VW Polo in the Odeon cinema car park in Greenwich, put the keys in their usual place and went to join her friend in the ticket queue.

“The film finished at about 8.30pm and I headed back to the car,” said Hodgkinson. “It was only then I realised the keys were gone. I didn’t notice anyone reaching for my bag. It must have happened while I was in the queue and then of course they know they’ve got at least a couple of hours while you’re watching the film.

“They might have followed me from the car but even if they didn’t, VW is written on the key fob, so all they had to do was scour the car park, pressing the button on the key to see which VW it would open.”

Hodgkinson now keeps her keys in a more secure place and warns other female drivers to be on the lookout. “I imagine there are a lot of car thieves looking out for unsuspecting women like me.”

The burglary victim

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