Peterborough in ‘top 10’ for catalytic converter thefts

The city ranks sixth with 75 thefts from April 2017 to April 2020, analysis of police data from comparethemarket.com reveals.

The website said catalytic converter thefts are rising across the country because of the soaring price of their metal components - platinum, rhodium and palladium.

In Peterborough, the number of thefts is said to have risen from 11 in 2017/18 to 56 in 2019/20.

Adding in the eight in the year between, that produces a total of 75 in three years, higher than places including Derby, Wolverhampton and Manchester.

The top 10 is, unsurprisingly, led by London with 15,237 thefts (of which 12,483 came in one year), followed by Birmingham, Coventry, Cambridge and Luton.

Dan Hutson, head of motor insurance at comparethemarket.com, said: “These statistics are high and the value of the metals within catalytic converters has gone up significantly, resulting in a car part which was previously of little interest to thieves suddenly becoming very valuable, which explains the spikes.

“For those who are worried about falling victim to this type of theft, try parking your car in a way which would make it difficult for thieves to slide under the car to access the catalytic converter. There are also anti-theft devices you can buy and fit to your car to prevent unwanted attention.

“A comprehensive car insurance policy should also cover you if your car has become a victim of the trend, but it’s best to check with your provider to make sure, especially if you live in a higher risk area.”