PURECAR ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Northern Ireland Vehicle Crime Report 2026
A detailed analysis of September 2023 to August 2026. Explore the 36-month trend, all 11 councils, equivalent reporting periods and monthly records.
Published 28 October 2026. Records cover the period ending August 2026, not the complete calendar year 2026.
NATIONAL RESEARCH SNAPSHOT
Vehicle crime across Northern Ireland
Latest reporting period: September 2025 to August 2026. All figures refer to mapped Police.uk records.
WHAT THE EVIDENCE SHOWS
Key findings from 36 months of records
These findings are calculated from reconciled monthly council data. Recorded totals are not population-adjusted rates or individual crime-risk estimates.
The latest annual movement
The latest 12 months contained 2,152 mapped records, compared with 2,357 in the preceding 12 months: 205 fewer records (8.7% decrease). Equal-length reporting periods allow comparison, but the figures do not establish why a change occurred.
Three comparable reporting years
September 2023 to August 2024: 2,377 mapped records; September 2024 to August 2025: 2,357 mapped records; September 2025 to August 2026: 2,152 mapped records. The archive uses September-to-August reporting years, not calendar-year totals.
Highest and lowest months
The highest monthly count was 264 in October 2023. The lowest was 145 in June 2026. An isolated high or low does not necessarily establish a sustained trend.
Where records were concentrated
The three councils with the highest totals were Belfast, Newry, Mourne and Down, Derry City and Strabane. Together, they accounted for 1,284 records, or 59.7% of Northern Ireland's latest 12-month total. These are absolute counts, not risk rankings.
Vehicle crime in all 11 councils
Ranked by the latest 12-month mapped-record total. Select any council to read its full local research.
| Council | Latest 12 months | Previous 12 months | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Belfast | 888 | 973 | -85 |
| 2. Newry, Mourne and Down | 213 | 234 | -21 |
| 3. Derry City and Strabane | 183 | 165 | +18 |
| 4. Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon | 148 | 195 | -47 |
| 5. Causeway Coast and Glens | 135 | 138 | -3 |
| 6. Lisburn and Castlereagh | 129 | 97 | +32 |
| 7. Antrim and Newtownabbey | 125 | 141 | -16 |
| 8. Fermanagh and Omagh | 102 | 79 | +23 |
| 9. Mid Ulster | 90 | 115 | -25 |
| 10. Mid and East Antrim | 85 | 117 | -32 |
| 11. Ards and North Down | 54 | 103 | -49 |
Councils vary in population, vehicle ownership and exposure. Differences in mapped-record totals must not be treated as individual vehicle-theft risk.
Explore the full 36-month history
The complete monthly figures are included in this page's HTML and are available below.
Monthly vehicle-crime archive View all 36 months
| Month | Mapped records |
|---|---|
| August 2026 | 228 |
| July 2026 | 206 |
| June 2026 | 145 |
| May 2026 | 189 |
| April 2026 | 200 |
| March 2026 | 210 |
| February 2026 | 164 |
| January 2026 | 153 |
| December 2025 | 155 |
| November 2025 | 151 |
| October 2025 | 188 |
| September 2025 | 163 |
| August 2025 | 186 |
| July 2025 | 173 |
| June 2025 | 168 |
| May 2025 | 162 |
| April 2025 | 176 |
| March 2025 | 263 |
| February 2025 | 175 |
| January 2025 | 197 |
| December 2024 | 204 |
| November 2024 | 214 |
| October 2024 | 220 |
| September 2024 | 219 |
| August 2024 | 167 |
| July 2024 | 171 |
| June 2024 | 176 |
| May 2024 | 180 |
| April 2024 | 192 |
| March 2024 | 192 |
| February 2024 | 184 |
| January 2024 | 249 |
| December 2023 | 218 |
| November 2023 | 172 |
| October 2023 | 264 |
| September 2023 | 212 |
Sources and limitations Understand the statistics
Mapped Police.uk vehicle-crime records are approximate geographical points. These figures are counts of mapped records, not precise offence addresses or individual vehicle-theft risk. Official PSNI offences are a separate statistical series and must not be added to these totals.
National totals reconcile with the sum of all 11 councils for every archive month. The data cannot establish why recorded offences increased or decreased.
Official PSNI offence statistics have different definitions and reporting periods. They are kept separate and are not added to the mapped-record totals shown here.
Official PSNI vehicle-crime statistics
Northern Ireland — recorded offences for 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25. These official figures are separate from the Police.uk mapped records above.
PSNI offence categories and annual totals View all three reporting years
Official PSNI disclosure FOI/15673, published 24 September 2025. Reporting years run from 1 April to 31 March.
| Reporting year | Theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle | Aggravated vehicle taking | Theft from a vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,095 | 199 | 990 |
| 2023/24 | 993 | 199 | 982 |
| 2024/25 | 1,022 | 186 | 843 |
Theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle: Recorded offences increased by 29, from 993 in 2023/24 to 1,022 in 2024/25.
Aggravated vehicle taking: Recorded offences decreased by 13, from 199 in 2023/24 to 186 in 2024/25.
Theft from a vehicle: Recorded offences decreased by 139, from 982 in 2023/24 to 843 in 2024/25.
Source: Police Service of Northern Ireland, FOI/15673, published 24 September 2025. These figures count recorded offences, not distinct stolen vehicles. The three categories retain their separate definitions, and are not combined with approximate Police.uk mapped records.
Official offences by policing district
Compare all 11 policing districts for 2024/25. Each district links to its detailed PureCar vehicle-crime research.
All 11 official district breakdowns View 2024/25 PSNI figures
| Policing district | Vehicle theft/taking | Aggravated taking | Theft from vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 364 | 43 | 451 |
| Newry, Mourne and Down | 99 | 20 | 89 |
| Derry City and Strabane | 96 | 23 | 37 |
| Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon | 81 | 31 | 47 |
| Causeway Coast and Glens | 58 | 12 | 20 |
| Lisburn and Castlereagh | 63 | 7 | 35 |
| Antrim and Newtownabbey | 72 | 11 | 44 |
| Fermanagh and Omagh | 40 | 7 | 30 |
| Mid Ulster | 59 | 14 | 32 |
| Mid and East Antrim | 48 | 12 | 30 |
| Ards and North Down | 42 | 6 | 28 |
Research period: September 2023 to August 2026. Explore the Northern Ireland Vehicle Crime hub or read the research methodology .
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