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Thefts peaked in March 2021, with 3,245 recorded in the UK that month, but have steadily declined since, with 1,378 recorded in July. A surge in the price of precious metals saw theft of catalytic converters become a national issue earlier this year, and police across the UK joined forces to combat the trend.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, he said: “It’s a 10-minute process to actually register the mark, so to say to the car owner, ‘look you’re getting this work done, why not’.
“It’ll be down to the individual MOT station to set the price, and then you can get your catalytic converter protected.
“August is a bad month. You know, people on holiday and stuff like that so we’ll be talking to the industry straight and seeking their views but will be pushing it out in September formally.
“We have a number of major nationals (garages) who are already interested in becoming partners.
“They see it as a public-spirited approach, even though they are making a little bit of a margin on it, it’s not a lot, but I think it’s great of them to show that interest.”
The ‘National Asset Database’ is operated by the SmartWater Group’s Centre for Infrastructure and Asset Protection (CIAP) on behalf of the police.
This ensures that any recovered stolen parts can be identified and traced back to the specific vehicle they were taken from.
Mr Cleary continued, by saying: “Very quickly the brand SmartWater became a deterrent very much, because they knew it wasn’t an idle threat.
“That’s fundamentally the biggest difference between SmartWater and other technologies.
“We’ve been working for 14 or 15 years helping the police lock up criminals, so they know it’s a real threat.”
MOT test centres, garages and workshops, are now invited to become accredited registration hubs for a national database.
This would create an additional revenue stream and ensure all car owners can protect their vehicle components from being targeted by criminals.
Rachael Oakley, Director of the CIAP, commented on the call for more MOT garages to help cut the threat of catalytic converter thefts.
She said: “We’re delighted but not surprised that this police initiative is deterring theft of catalytic converters, as criminals avoid traceable property, whether it’s vehicle parts, copper cable or jewellery.
“We are now calling on the UK’s aftermarket industry to join us, get involved and help roll this out nationwide.”
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