Land Rover is the most stolen car brand in the country
If you don't want to attract thieves, maybe don't own a Land Rover, plus news on night vision for red stags in Scotland
Data suggests that one in 100 Land Rovers are stolen every year
The UK has experienced a 25% surge in car thefts, and Land Rover has emerged as the most frequently stolen vehicle brand in the country. (Read more on Land Rovers here.)
According to data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), approximately one out of every 100 Land Rovers in circulation was reported stolen between April 2022 and March 2023. These statistics reveal that Land Rovers are three times more likely to be stolen compared to the second most popular target for thieves, which is the Mercedes-Benz.
The concerning situation in car theft is highlighted by information obtained by Confused.com through Freedom of Information requests. Out of the 896,948 licensed Land Rovers in the UK, 8,284 were reported stolen during this period, resulting in a ratio of 924 thefts per 100,000 vehicles.
Notably, Land Rover models dominate the top – 10 most stolen list, with six of their vehicles featured. The Range Rover Velar R-Dyn emerged as the most frequently targeted model.
There are concerns that deer are being categorised as vermin
Night vision for red stags
Last week, ST reported on the Scottish government’s decision to implement a key part of the Deer Working Group’s recommendation and remove closed season on all male deer, despite some objections from stalkers who such as Davy Thomas, who said: “To remove seasons altogether shows very little understanding, or indeed empathy, towards [the deer].”
Shooting Times has now learned that other, less controversial, recommendations will also be brought into effect, including the allowing of stalking with thermal or night vision optical kit and some moderation of the required calibres used to enable easier transition to lead-free ammunition.
Award-winning stalker Chris Dalton of South Ayrshire Stalking broadly welcomes the new initiatives, acknowledging: “To shoot deer at night requires a specific licence issued by Nature Scotland and for the most part these will go to rangers and contractors employed in the deer sector, so bringing Scotland into line with the rest of the UK.”
He does have some worries, though, as he told ST: “I am concerned that in the current political climate where we are presented with an almost daily picture of Scotland being overrun with deer, that these night licences will be issued far too easily and without proper scrutiny or need.”
He added: “The welfare of trees seems to be of more concern than the welfare of deer; there is a place for both. I worry that Scotland’s deer are rapidly being categorised as vermin by many of our political masters and are not seen as the vital part of our natural heritage that they clearly are, not to mention their importance to rural economies.
