Thames Valley Police bring charges against less than three per cent of car thieves, according to an MP.
Joshua Reynolds, Lib Dem MP for Maidenhead and some parts of Bracknell Forest, said the regional police force only charges 2.45 per cent of car thieves, despite more than three thousand cars being stolen.
He slammed the low charge rate as an "absolute scandal".
The MP said people across his constituency "rely on their cars to get to to work, take their kids to school and get themselves to the doctors and essential services".
He said 1,060 people in the Thames Valley have had their vehicles "snatched away from them", but most of the criminals are getting away "scot free".
"How on earth can we expect to deter would-be thieves from nicking people's cars when so few criminals are actually being charged by Thames Valley Police?"
Reynolds accused the Labour government of being "asleep at the wheel" while his constituents pay the price, and called for more "community policing" to tackle car theft.
He argued police forces have been left "over stretched and under funded", leaving them without sufficient resources.
When reached for comment, Thames Valley Police told this newspaper their own figures are different, showing a three per cent charge rate for last year and 4.6 per cent for this year.
MP Reynolds said the 2.45 per cent figure comes from official Home Office data covering the 12 months to December 2025.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said they do not know how the Home Office data is collated, so the police force is unable to say categorically whether or not they believe the figures quoted by the MP are correct.
In a statement issued to this newspaper, the police force said they "fully appreciate" the impact of vehicle crime on victims.
"Although reports of this crime type have typically fallen, we recognise the importance of maintaining pressure on those who seek to offend and strengthening our ability to prevent crime before it occurs."
Thames Valley Police claimed their charge rates "have been improving" over recent years and said they are "committed" to further improvement.
The force said it is "supporting" the 'Vehicle Crime Strategy' put together by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
The Strategy has apparently been developed using vehicle crime data from the Thames Valley region.
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