Nearly 100,000 catalytic converters stolen in three years
Clearly from recent news, catalytic converter thefts are on the increase and becoming an enormous headache for car owners and law enforcement agencies alike. Over 100,000 catalytic converters have been stolen in the UK alone during 2020-2023 according to data gathered by OPAL, the National Intelligence Unit for Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime, UK. Increasing precious metal prices have exacerbated the problem. Each converter can command as much as £600 on the black market but cost the car owner more than twice this to repair the damage and to replace the catalyst. Catalytic converter crime theft is estimated to cost the UK in the region of £350 million per year.
The crime figures are only those where the crime was reported, and it is thought that the real numbers could be even higher. (Rashid, 2023) The UK has a dedicated metal crime unit headed up by Superintendent Mark Cleland which is working to gather more intelligence and information on converter theft and other metal-theft crimes. OPAL SOAC is also working in partnership with public and private organisations to tackle serious organised crime incorporating metal thefts. (NPPC, n.d.)
Autocatalysts are legitimately recycled by a number of companies globally including Hensel Recycling in Germany. The catalysts are removed from their outer casings and crushed. (See Figure 1 below). The powder obtained can be sent to downstream refiners and processed via pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical routes to recover the PGMs.
Source: Sky News 01/01/23
NPPC. (n.d.). OPAL – National Intelligence Unit for Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime. Retrieved from NPPC Police: https://www.npcc.police.uk/NationalPolicing/OPALNationalIntelligenceUnitforSeriousOrganisedAcq.aspx
Rashid, I. (2023, January 1). Nearly 100,000 catalytic converters stolen in three years, data reveals. Retrieved from Sky News: https://news.sky.com/story/nearly-100-000-catalytic-converters-stolen-in-three-years-data-reveals-12777355#:~:text=Almost%20100%2C000%20thefts%20of%20catalytic,600%20on%20the%20black%20market.