FOI 658/26

Request

 

1. On 1 April in the following years, how many stolen vehicle examiners were employed by the force either as police officers or civilian staff?
2. i) 2016
3. ii) 2022

iii)        2023

1. iv) 2024
2. v) 2025

vi ) 2026

 

2. On 1 April in the following years, how many stolen vehicle examiners employed by your force either as police officer or civilian staff were recognised as “Qualified Stolen Vehicle Examiners” by the National Association of Stolen Vehicle Examiners (NASVE)?
3. i) 2022
4. ii) 2023

iii)        2024

1. iv) 2025
2. v) 2026

 

3. On 26 May 2026 (or the nearest available date for which data is available), what was the average caseload of a "qualified stolen vehicle examiner” (as outlined in question 2) in your force?

 

4. On 26 May 2026 (or the nearest available date for which data is available), how many ‘theft or unauthorised taking of motor vehicle’ cases remained open.

 

5. Please provide any current Standard Operating Procedure/policy/checklist/decision tree/other internal guidance document that governs:
6. i) investigation of the theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle
7. ii) how investigators must handle CCTV/video enquiries in those investigations, including what to do when CCTV is not available

iii) what material/information must be assembled before seeking a charging decision for the theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle

 

6. For cases relating to the theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle in the financial year 2025/26 in which an individual was charged, what was the average time, in days, between the reporting of the alleged crime and the individual(s) being charged

 

7. For cases relating to the theft or unauthorised taking of a motor vehicle in the financial year 2025/26 in which the investigation was completed with no suspect identified, what was the average time, in days, between the reporting of the alleged crime and the investigation being closed?

 

Response

 

We have consulted with our Roads Policing Unit who have provided the following information in relation to your request.

Question 1

 

1. i) 2016 - 6
2. ii) 2022 - 4

iii)          2023 - 3

1. iv) 2024 - 3
2. v) 2025 - 3

vi )         2026 – 2

 

Question 2

 

1. i) 2022 - 2
2. ii) 2023 - 2

iii)          2024 - 1

1. iv) 2025 - 1
2. v) 2026 - 1

 

Question 3

 

South Wales Police does not hold the information to answer this part of your request. Under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) we are not obliged to create information in order to comply with a request. We are only able to provide recorded information. Please see below: 

 

‘’Information is defined in section 84 of the Act as 'information recorded in any form'. The Act therefore only extends to requests for recorded information. It does not require public authorities to answer questions generally; only if they already hold the answers in recorded form.

 

Question 4

 

A search has been completed using our crime and incident recording system (Niche RMS) for all open crime occurrences recorded using Home Office Offence Code ‘48/1 Theft of a Motor Vehicle’ as at 8^th June 2026.

 

This search retrieved 304 occurrences.

 

Question 5

 

We have consulted with our Learning and Development Team who have provided the following information in relation to this part of your request.

 

1. Please find the details of the aims & objectives in relation to training on investigations of unauthorised taking of motor vehicles which is provided to all student officers and available to be refreshed through various internal policy and procedures for all other officers.

 

‘Taking a Conveyance’.

 

1)         Explain the offence of ‘taking a conveyance’, including the points to prove and defence.

2)         Identify whether an offence of ‘taking a conveyance’ has been committed.

3)         Explain the offence of ‘aggravated vehicle taking’, including the points to prove and defences.

4)         Explain the offence of ‘taking a pedal cycle’.

5)         Explain the offence of ‘vehicle interference’.

1. ii) In regard to how investigators should handle CCTV enquiries for investigations, we have a full lesson on ‘Conducting Investigations’ which covers the ‘Golden Hour Principles’ for gathering evidence and the process when conducting investigations. Learning outcomes for this session are below.

 

1. Explain the appropriate investigative actions when responding to & attending an incident
2. State what information needs to be recorded and updated when conducting an investigation
3. Explore the role of technology & the public in preventing crime
4. State how to undertake an evidence-led investigation/prosecution where the victim is reluctant to support an investigation
5. Identify important factors when investigating across force/ international boundaries
6. Describe when a multi-agency approach can be used for investigating an incident
7. Outline the purpose of Quality Assurance Thematic Testing (QATT) and the BI Investigative Dashboard

 

In addition to this training, it is mandatory during the initial 26-week training programme for the Probationary Constables to complete a ‘Level 1 – Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)’ college learn package which outlines the procedure for viewing and seizing CCTV during an investigation.

 

Level 1 – Closed Circuit television (CCTV) is an on line training package licensed by the College of Policing and is described below:

 

Description

This learning has been developed for police staff, officers and those who are required to meet the level one initial training standard for CCTV retrieval. All CCTV training levels have been defined in the NPCC Framework for Video Based Evidence (v3.0) and are endorsed by the Forensic Science Regulator.

This learning has been designed to bring clarity around activities relating to recovery, acquisition, viewing and processing of CCTV evidence. This learning is divided into the following sections:

• Welcome to the learning
• First responders (level zero) knowledge check
• Module 1: Introduction to CCTV
• Module 2: Legislation and procedures
• Module 3: Pre-retrieval knowledge
• Module 4: Technical retrieval of CCTV
• Module 5: Requirements after retrieval

 

iii) Please note that  in relation to the material required to be assembled before seeking a charging decision this is covered within the training as described.

 

Question 6 and 7

 

South Wales Police does not hold the information to answer this part of your request. Under the Freedom of Information Act (2000) we are not obliged to create information in order to comply with a request. We are only able to provide recorded information. Please see below: 

 

‘’Information is defined in section 84 of the Act as 'information recorded in any form'. The Act therefore only extends to requests for recorded information. It does not require public authorities to answer questions generally; only if they already hold the answers in recorded form.