THE areas of the Bradford district worst affected by vehicle thefts has been revealed in official police figures.

The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request to West Yorkshire Police, show how many vehicles were stolen between August 2019 and August 2020, broken down by council wards.

More than 1,600 vehicles - including cars, vans, motorbikes and more - were stolen during the 12 month period.

The area worst affected was the Bowling and Barkerend ward, which was hit by 119 vehicle thefts during the timeframe, almost ten each month.

The Tong ward was a close second, with 116 thefts, more than two every week.

Eccleshill was in third place on the list with 81 thefts, followed by City ward with 80 and the Royds ward was fifth with 70.

In Bowling and Barkerend, 73 of the thefts were of cars - including one incident where an Audi S3, Audi RS4 and a Volkswagen Passat were taken at the same time by thieves, and another where two Subaru Imprezas were taken together.

Also targeted by criminals were a JCB vehicle and a Takeuchi digger, as well as 25 motorbikes and 16 vans.

The least affected areas were the Wharfedale ward, which only saw 18 vehicle thefts, followed by the Toller ward with 26 and Queensbury with 30 thefts.

Councillor Alan Wainwright (Labour, Tong) said police are doing a “good job in difficult circumstances” in tackling vehicle thefts.

He said: “The numbers are too high.

“Police are doing a good job in difficult circumstances after suffering massive losses in personnel due to Conservative cuts.

“Hundreds of officers have been taken off the streets, officers who knew the streets and had the knowledge. These new officers, it takes time to learn this, and we are paying the price.

“I’d tell the criminals they are being watched, but the police rely on information from the public and someone must know who’s doing it, who they are.

“Vehicle owners can also take steps, not leaving windows open and locking their doors, or getting steering locks and other similar devices and just being more aware and safety concious.”

West Yorkshire Police have said vehicles are stolen for a variety of reasons - for use in crimes, in burglaries, by opportunists or to be sold for parts - and have urged people to take steps to protect their vehicles.

Superintendent Mark Jessop, of Bradford District Police, said: “Officers in Bradford District are working hard to tackle crime involving the theft of vehicles.

“This highlights the work of the Steerside Enforcement Team, who work with partner agencies on every day on operations tackling this area of criminality, as well as officers from Operational Support.

“If your vehicle does not have an immobiliser or alarm then consider having one professionally fitted to the Thatcham quality assured standard.

“You may also want to consider a tracking device if you have an expensive or high performance vehicle, as this can make increase the possibility for police to recover it, and make arrests should it be stolen.”

Vehicle crime prevention advice can be found on the West Yorkshire Police website, where vehicle thefts can also be reported using the live chat facility. You can also call police on 101.

The full list of areas and number of vehicle thefts is:

Baildon: 46

Bingley: 47

Bingley Rural: 37

Bolton & Undercliffe: 44

Bowling & Barkerend: 119

Bradford Moor: 49

City: 80

Clayton & Fairweather Green: 40

Craven: 45

Eccleshill: 81

Great Horton: 55

Heaton: 54

Idle & Thackley: 52

Ilkley: 43

Keighley Central: 50

Keighley East: 60

Keighley West: 59

Little Horton: 50

Manningham: 40

Queensbury: 30

Royds: 70

Shipley: 41

Thornton & Allerton: 40

Toller: 26

Tong: 116

Unknown: 65

Wharfedale: 18

Wibsey: 56

Windhill & Wrose: 68

Worth Valley: 40

Wyke: 32

You can read which vehicles were the most popular targets for criminals here.