A pick-up was found within two minutes of having been reported stolen in Swanley last month after a neighbourhood police patrol found itself following the missing vehicle.

But that near-instant recovery is one of very few success stories, as Kent Police figures show that less than 10% of all vehicles nicked in the county in the last three years have been found.

Between 2022 and 2024 more than 7,000 vehicles were taken by thieves.

But within that same three-year period the number of cases resolved amounts to just 460 - or just 6.4% of the total.

Vehicle thefts are at a 15-year-high according to Office for National Statistics data, with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and shortages in the automotive market, such as a scarcity of both new and used vehicles and spare parts, said by the RAC to be fuelling the problem.

In Kent, the number of vehicles being taken has also risen slightly - up from 2,329 in 2022 to 2,454 last year.

However, the number of stolen vehicles the force has recovered, found destroyed, seized or been able to return to their owners has fallen - with just 135 located last year compared to 175 vehicles in 2022.

Shocking CCTV footage shared with KentOnline at the start of the year showed thieves using a scanning device to steal a Faversham family’s £25k Ford Ranger in just 60 seconds.

Dad-of-two Jordan Wisbey said his “heart sank” when he woke to find his driveway empty at the start of the new year.

The video, captured on a security camera, shows one individual waiting by the car while the other appears to be holding up a signal-scanning device close to the house.

The pair then open the vehicle - which has keyless entry - and before a minute elapses on the clock they have driven it away.

A video captured on a doorbell camera in Cliftonville just a few weeks later shows a suspect there rummaging through a car after gaining access to the vehicle with a remote electronic device - which prompted a warning from police for people to ‘turn off’ wireless signals on their fobs if they can when not in use.

Last summer a spate of keyless car thefts saw four vehicles taken from one area of Ashford in less than a week.

Mercedes and BMWs were the target, with police suspecting that thieves there too had used a device that fools the car into thinking the key is close by, and so unlocks the vehicle before starting the ignition.

Thieves only need to be within a few metres of the car key to capture the signal, warn vehicle experts, even if it’s inside a home, meaning that even if a car and home are secure, thieves can still unlock, start and steal the vehicle.

In total, more than 470 BMWs were stolen in Kent between 2022 and 2024 while the number of Mercedes vehicles taken in the county over the same three-year period was just over 760.

The number of Ford vehicles stolen - like that belonging to Jordan Wisbey - number more than 1,760 in the three years since 2022 according to figures obtained by KentOnline through a Freedom of Information request.

What happens to stolen cars?

Chief Superintendent Rob Marsh from Kent Police said relocating people’s stolen cars is the ‘preferred’ outcome but not always possible, particularly if thieves tamper with the vehicles.

He explained: “We do not underestimate the significant impact vehicle thefts have on victims, who may find it more difficult and costly to travel to work, for leisure and to access vital services.

“That is why we are committed to investigating all offences reported to us based on the evidence available with a view to making arrests and bringing charges when appropriate.

“Reuniting someone with their stolen vehicle is always our preferred outcome although this is not always possible, especially if the person who stole it has changed the number plates, broken the vehicle down into spare parts or set it on fire.”

Last month, Croydon Crown Court heard how members of the Blue Eyes Gang were using stolen cars with false number plates to supply drugs including cocaine and MDMA across north and west Kent.

Six members of the gang, which was established in 2019 by Jamie Bennett from Mosyer Drive, Orpington, were given a prison sentence in February having been charged with several counts of conspiracy to supply drugs, while Bennett was also charged with two counts of handling stolen property.

Ch Supt Marsh suggested there are things vehicle owners can do to increase their chances of getting their vehicle back if it is taken.

He added: “There are steps people can take to increase the chances of their vehicle being returned to them if stolen, such as by installing a tracking device or by using tamper-proof screws to make number plates much more difficult to remove.

“Vehicle owners are also encouraged to park in a garage or other secure area if possible and to consider installing alarms and CCTV cameras to deter opportunistic thieves.

“If you do need to park on the road then try to do so under or near a street light where an offender is less likely to target your vehicle.”