Résumé
Decoy vehicles can be used by the police to apprehend offenders committing theft of and from vehicles and, if stolen, to locate "chop shops." This report describes the results of a national survey of police forces regarding their use of decoy vehicles in the UK, highlighting issues that should be considered in their deployment. It also describes a decoy vehicle initiative undertaken in Stockton-on-Tees in 1997-98. The report concludes with a number of recommendations of best practices in the use of decoy vehicles at the local and national levels, including the use of crime and other data to focus and target the initiative; choosing the right vehicle type as a decoy; the use of publicity to increase public awareness; ongoing monitoring of crime levels to identify relevant changes; and routine evaluation to identify costs and benefits. While decoy vehicles are an essential element of an effective decoy operation, they are but one component of a comprehensive strategy to counter the problem of vehicle crime.