In the United Kingdom, classic Defenders continue to be targets for rural theft, with organized crime rings working to steal the vehicles both for export and parts.
In the United Kingdom, classic Defenders continue to be targets for rural theft, with organized crime rings working to steal the vehicles both for export and parts.
Farm insurer NFU Mutual, a popular insurance provider for British farmers, estimates that Defender thefts totalled a value of £2,500,000 (~$3,055,000) in 2022, with the damages only expected to go up in 2023. It’s one of the bigger theft issues impacting rural Britain right now. A lost Defender means more than just a lost cherished 4x4 – it means the loss of a working tool and potential revenue.
Vehicles are rarely stolen for resale in the UK – there’s too much surveillance to make much of a market out of that. The domestic market is mostly the chop shop market, with remote fields full of half-stripped Defenders, their parts sold on the black market.
Some are exported. Though it’s very rare to get a stolen truck imported into the United States, with the US and UK both tied into international crime databases, they do make their way to Eastern Europe and Africa regularly. Once there, it's very hard to track the vehicles down, and even harder to recover them.
In the meantime, British insurance companies continue to suggest Defender owners use passive and active security devices (pedal locks, steering lock bars, trackers, alarms, security bolts) to prevent or mitigate Defender theft. It’s an unfortunate issue, that seems to permeate Land Rover’s iconic home country more than any other. Nonetheless, even in North America, it pays off in many ways for classic Defender owners to be aware and alert any time they leave their truck behind.
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