Who can be charged recovery and storage fees when PSNI finds a stolen vehicle in Northern Ireland?

PSNI states that reasonable recovery and storage costs can be recovered from you or your insurer, depending on the circumstances and policy arrangements.

For this Northern Ireland query, the practical issue is who can be charged recovery and storage fees when PSNI finds a stolen vehicle in Northern Ireland. Vehicle crime should be dealt with quickly because the first few hours can matter for recovery, CCTV retention, tracker data and forensic evidence. PSNI advises owners to contact police as soon as they become aware that a vehicle has been stolen, damaged or broken into and to touch as little as possible where forensic evidence may remain. Where police locate a stolen vehicle, PSNI says it normally arranges immediate removal by a contracted recovery operator to protect the vehicle, preserve evidence and prevent further danger or criminal use.

Keep the vehicle registration, VIN, insurer details, photographs and security-device information somewhere you can access even if the car or documents are stolen. Save original CCTV or dash-cam files before they overwrite. When reporting an incident, separate what you know from what you suspect and give PSNI accurate times, locations, vehicle details and reference numbers. For this question specifically — “Who can be charged recovery and storage fees when PSNI finds a stolen vehicle in Northern Ireland?” — the safest answer is the one above, based on the current Northern Ireland and UK official guidance rather than forum advice or rules written for another jurisdiction.