Land Rover Defender thefts up by 69% as values rise

Sergeant Nick Hill, of Stokesley Police, commented on the matter earlier this year, explaining that high-tech criminal gangs were overriding the Defender’s standard security systems. "It appears an organised group of criminals is specifically targeting this make and model of vehicle," he said. "Of greatest concern to us is that it is evident these thieves have knowledge of this particular vehicle's factory-fitted security and electrical systems.”

Local police forces have issued recommendations for owners to reduce the chances of their cars being stolen, with Sergeant Hill offering his own advice: "Consider fitting a transponder-based security marking system and tracker device and etching all windows with your vehicle identification number.”

It is thought that markets outside the UK where imports are less effectively monitored account for a large proportion of demand. Rising prices for parts have also meant that some stolen Defenders are being stripped and sold in bits. Police have therefore recommended that buyers check where their used parts have come from, to avoid helping to fund this growing illegal industry.

The Defender went out of production at the end of January, 2,016,933 units having been sold in the model’s 68-year history. There is no shortage of Defenders outside the UK – Land Rover says it exports 80% of its products, and the Defender accounted for a notable chunk of that – so recent thefts are being attributed to the model’s rising value, rather than a shortage of supply.

We recently drove Twisted’s take on the Defender 90. Read out review of the car here.