Birmingham commuter's car stripped of parts twice in two months

A charity worker's car was stripped of parts twice in two months after she parked in Birmingham city centre to go to work.

Letisha Brown's Ford Fiesta was "cannibalised" after she parked in Digbeth.

A crime spree revealed by the BBC in February shows no sign of slowing, with many victims coming forward.

Both organised gangs and opportunistic thieves are believed to be behind the thefts, West Midlands Police said.

Between September 2022 and March 2023, 19,830 thefts from a motor vehicle were reported to the force - which includes car stripping and registration plates being stolen.

Car bumpers, grilles, lights and bonnets are being removed from cars within minutes.

Reports have been made by drivers across the city and many of the thefts are taking place during the day.

Letisha, aged 28, said she now walked to work after her car was targeted twice while she was at work for a mental health charity.

"I've felt upset, angry, on edge that someone has done this and it feels personal - for it to happen again in just under two months, I feel numb to it at this point. It's just horrible.

"I went on social media and shared my experience and so many other people have come forward, saying they're a victim too."

After the first theft on 15 March she found a bumper via Facebook Marketplace, only for it to be stolen again weeks later on 10 May.

She said she now suspected thieves were selling parts quickly and cheaply online.

"It is ironic, because the person I bought the bumper off are probably the ones who've stolen them."

West Midlands Police said it was reviewing all lines of inquiry including online adverts and urged people to "think twice" before buying and creating a "self-perpetuating market for thieves".

A simple search online pulls up scores of bumpers of various makes and models of cars which are selling for hundreds of pounds, usually paid for in cash.

Since the thefts, Letisha has sold her car and changed it for another make and model.

"I don't want to live my life in fear that now I've got a car I don't want to drive it anywhere," she said.

"The car I've got now won't be driving on the roads of Digbeth."

Jason Keley had only owned his Vauxhall Corsa for 17 days when he came back from a football match to find the front of it completely missing.

The car, which he had parked in Birmingham near Dartmouth Circus, close to the Aston Expressway, and was targeted on a Saturday afternoon, was written off. It has come at a huge cost to the 35-year-old.

Jason was not compensated by his insurance firm for the full value of the car, a loss of £1,300.

After buying a second car on finance, a Ford Focus, he was then told it would cost up to £4,000 to fully insure it, following the theft of his previous vehicle.

It sat on his driveway until he decided to use savings and a credit card to pay £2,300 for third party, fire and theft insurance.

"I feel like I've been punished for something that's not my fault," he said.

"I've lost a load of money and it's just really hard."

Steven John's Ford Fiesta bumper was ripped off outside his home in Solihull at about 03:00 while he was asleep during a bank holiday in May.

"I initially rang West Midlands Police at 07:00 to inform them about the car and what happened, they said someone would come out to investigate and have a look. I asked for a crime number, they said they'd give me one, once they'd come out to investigate the issue.

"Here I am, no crime number, no contact from police, and I can't contact my insurer to let them know.

"I've got a car which is un-driveable and I'm not able to get to work."

After the BBC contacted West Midlands Police about the theft a week later, officers got in touch with Steven, 28.

He said he felt he had no choice but to sell his car and replace it with one less attractive to thieves.

"I could get it repaired and spend thousands of pounds in repairs and they could come out the next day and just do it again and again, West Midlands Police won't do anything," he said.

The BBC spoke to many more drivers who had suffered in recent months.

Manuela said her hybrid car had been targeted twice outside her flat in Solihull. Repairs cost £4,750 after it was stripped on New Year's Eve before thieves struck again four months later. With spiralling costs and her car in storage, she said she had been "left feeling exposed".

Holly's neighbours interrupted thieves in Erdington when they said they were "trying to fix their auntie's car". Not convinced, neighbours went round to check with her and chased the men who were midway through removing parts.

Charlotte said she was on a night out in Digbeth with friends in late April when she came back to her car to find the bonnet missing. Thieves had been interrupted by security guards in a nearby club.

Det Ch Insp Andy McHugh, vehicle crime lead for West Midlands Police, described car cannibalism as "a shocking crime" which was being particularly felt right across Birmingham - but why?

"Birmingham attracts a lot of visitors in to the city - people working here and visiting for the day, it's quite a magnet.

"Because of that, it's always been prevalent for car crime, as well as other outlying areas of the West Midlands."

The force set up a dedicated specialist vehicle crime unit in September 2022.

In February, BBC News followed the team as it led a raid at a property in Kitts Green in which multiple vehicle parts were discovered. A man is due in court in April 2024 charged with 10 offences related to car stripping.

It is still early days for the unit, which says it has detected some 339 crimes and solved 157 in that period.

Police said they had recently changed their strategy in the hope of making a bigger impact tackling vehicle crime.

"It does feel low in terms of a comparison, which is why we've solely focused our operating change model on local policing and neighbourhood crime," said Det Ch Insp McHugh.

"There are designated leads per area across the force that are reviewing opportunities around vehicle crime; from initial contact with victims to follow-up inquiries, to progressing forensics to piecing that intelligence together to get some real positive results."

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