Project

Combating organised vehicle crime by developing barriers to prevent the facilitation of online distribution of stolen vehicles and vehicle parts

Acronym
V-BAR
Code
41G07821
Duration
01 January 2022 → 31 December 2023
Funding
European funding: various
Research disciplines
  • Social sciences
    • Causes and prevention of crime
    • Criminography and methods of criminological investigation
    • Police administration, procedures and practice
    • Safety, prevention and police
Keywords
organised crime barrier model organised vehicle crime organised property crime
Other information
 
Project description

V-BAR seeks to analyse the dynamics of the criminal markets of motor vehicle theft and stolen vehicle parts in the EU. Based on logistical analyses of these markets in 6 EU Member States, V-BAR will develop a European barrier model of organised vehicle theft and stolen vehicle parts. V-BAR will have 2 major outputs:

  1. 6 national barrier models on organised vehicle crime combined in a study report and;
  2. 1 handbook on a European barrier model on organised vehicle crime.

Besides these 2 main outputs, the project will generate 2 international workshops and 1 closing conference. As for each step of the criminal process, V-BAR seeks to generate the following outcomes:

  1. a better cooperation and communication between law enforcement agencies and public and private partners based on a multi-agency approach.
  2. generating strategic analysis and contributing to intelligence-led investigations based on insights of the logistical processes of organised vehicle crime
  3. enhanced capacity of the stakeholders to create barriers to prevent or disrupt organised vehicle crime.

Potential beneficiaries from the insights of V-BAR project in the short term are national law enforcement agencies, Europol, customs authorities and private stakeholders engaged in e-commerce. Due to the fact that policies might need to be adjusted or adopted to prevent criminals of abusing processes such as production, registration, sales, reparation and the trade of vehicles and vehicle parts, medium and long-term beneficiaries include relevant EU authorities in the field of Justice and Home Affairs, national and EU legislators and policy makers, national and EU heads or officers of shipment services, private stakeholders such as insurance companies, car manufacturers. In the long run, V-BAR’s expected impact is to contribute to the prevention of organised vehicle crime by creating effective barriers and increasing cooperation and information sharing between relevant public and private stakeholders, including through a close cooperation with ENAA.