THEFT OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS ON THE INCREASE Louise Punter CEO of Surrey Chambers of Commerce recently met up with Matt Sessions and Kate Hyder from Surrey Police to learn about a growing crime in Surrey Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, Surrey has seen a large increase in catalytic converter theft across the county. The value of metals contained within catalytic converters (Rhodium, Palladium, and Platinum) has been increasing significantly for a number of years. Palladium has increased in value by 258%, and Rhodium by 956%, which has likely had an impact in the crime type increasing.
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Surrey Police sought to approach the issue of catalytic converter theft from a problem-solving perspective, to understand why the problem was persisting across the whole of Surrey. Nationally, there are large intelligence gaps around where the catalytic converters are sold and broken down. It is believed from the intelligence available, that the majority of these offences are committed by organised crime groups, travelling across the region, heavily targeting a specific area, before moving on.