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DCO-02 2018-03 en Vehicle Crime
DCO-02 2018-03 en Vehicle Crime
FACT SHEET
Vehicle crime
ffGLOBAL VEHICLE SEARCH DATABASE
The INTERPOL General Secretariat manages the Automated Search Facility-Stolen Motor
Vehicle crime is a highly Vehicles (ASF-SMV) database to support police in its 192 member countries in the fight
organized criminal activity, against international vehicle theft and trafficking.
affecting all regions of the
world. In most cases, it is At the end of 2017, the database held more than 7.1 million records of reported
linked to other organized stolen vehicles from 128 countries. A total of 162 countries use the database regularly,
crime operations, ranging conducting more than 256 million searches in 2017. About 118,000 of these searches
from drug trafficking and resulted in a positive hit. The expansion of access to INTERPOL’s tools to more locations in
arms dealing to international member countries has resulted in greater usage of the ASF-SMV database.
terrorism. While vehicles are
rarely stolen for personal ffVEHICLE CRIME PROJECTS
uses, they are frequently ■■ Project INVEX brings together the car manufacturing industry and INTERPOL member
trafficked for gaining the countries to establish new means for detecting stolen motor vehicles and to increase
financial and logistical means the quality of the data in the ASF-SMV database. Initiated by INTERPOL’s National
to finance other criminal Central Bureau in Germany in 2009, the project currently involves 16 countries as well
activities. Therefore, it is as car manufacturers Audi, BMW, Porsche and Volkswagen and their sub-brands.
safe to say that in any every
sophisticated organized crime Since its inception, INVEX has contributed to the detection of stolen cars and
operation, vehicle crime plays components in about 70 member countries, leading to more than 500 seizures and
a significant role. various follow-up investigations. In 2018, INVEX will expand to even more countries as
the project continues to evolve.
■■ Project Formatrain brings together vehicle experts from law enforcement agencies
and private entities to create standardized training material to support international
investigations of vehicle theft. It is designed to assist police officers with information
on vehicle and document identification, investigative strategies, techniques and tools,
databases, and legal preconditions. At the end of 2017, more than 30 regional training
courses had been conducted, most of them directly followed by field operations.
Recognizing the need for training in specific areas of vehicle crime, INTERPOL has
recently begun to offer specialized training in the identification of heavy equipment
and construction machines. For these activities, the support of external parties with
expertise in the area is frequently sought.
ffOPERATIONAL SUPPORT
The INTERPOL Task Force on Stolen Motor Vehicles is supported by 11 member
countries and brings together police officers as well as private investigators, who are
all experts in the field of vehicle crime investigations. The task force is deployed at the
request of a member country to provide support for major vehicle operations, typically
at border crossings or sea ports. Since 2009, it has supported more than 20 operations
around the world.
Through its activities, the task force enhances the effectiveness of operations by providing
access to an increased number of identification and search tools as well as expertise. It
also serves as a networking platform for vehicle crime experts to share skills and expertise
internationally.
ffINFORMATION PLATFORM
INTERPOL maintains an information platform on issues related to vehicle crime which
contains analytical documents on global vehicle crime as well as an extensive resource
section. Identification guides and training material are also available to authorized users.
ff CONTACT INFORMATION:
Contact us via our web site. For matters
relating to specific crime cases, please
contact your local police or the INTERPOL
National Central Bureau in your country.
ff Twitter: @INTERPOL_HQ
ff YouTube: INTERPOLHQ
ff WWW.INTERPOL.INT