When cars started disappearing from an affluent suburb on the outskirts of London, Laura* and her neighbors decided it was time to take action. Just a 20-minute train ride from Marylebone, in the Buckinghamshire town of Gerrards Cross, Range-Rovers, Bentleys and Teslas were snapped one by one in a spate of thefts in the run-up to Christmas 2022. Police did little to help, Laura says. That's why the residents took matters into their own hands.
In December 2022, they came together to hire their own private security. Now a surveillance van, paid for by residents, drives along a series of roads in the area at night to warn potential thieves. At first glance, the London Security Syndicate, or LSS, hatchback looks like a police vehicle - equipped with orange lights, blue and yellow markings and the word 'security' on the roof and side doors. Inside it has a dashcam and GPS tracking.
"[Crime] was so widespread and we felt there was no support from the police," says Laura, whose garden was broken into two years ago. "[The trespassers] ran away, but many other people had their cars stolen in the area and there were also terrifying burglaries where people had hammers.
"It was a trigger. We thought: 'This is very scary and very serious, we have to do something about it because we are not getting any protection from the police.' That's why we took it upon ourselves to look for other options [which were] private security companies."
They are not alone. With car thefts on the rise in England and Wales - Home Office figures show that more than 133,000 offenses were recorded in the year leading up to March, a 78 per cent increase on the same period ten years ago - more and more people appear to be to turn to security guards hired to protect their vehicles.
The capital has been particularly hard hit. According to the Metropolitan Police, car thefts across London have increased at a surprising rate since 2021. Almost 24,000 vehicles were stolen in 2023, figures released by the Force Show, compared to 18,058 two years earlier.
During the day, the extensive houses in Gerrards Cross are located on spacious roads lined with tall trees. Sunlight filters through the autumn leaves and dog walkers take a morning walk. But at night the roads become shady and the large distance between houses makes them isolated - and vulnerable to burglaries.
Residents in the area say crime had reached "its highest level in years" ahead of the wave of car thefts. Gangs had targeted specific homes for more than a decade, they claim, reportedly holding some families hostage as they demanded access to safes and savings.
Then cars started disappearing. "They broke their way through the gates and had some sort of device, which looked like a curtain rod, that they kept near the house," explains one resident, Hannah*, speaking of a Bentley that had been stolen in the area. "And somehow they used the key's encryption to break into the car and take it."
"It's mainly Range Rovers that have been in the driveway and the thieves have managed to get a signal from the keys," said another resident, Mary. "My neighbor told me she has two friends who had their Range Rovers stolen just along the way."
As concerns mounted, councilors held a public meeting with community members and Thames Valley Police, residents say. Officers got a clear picture of how people were feeling. "The police were not absent and followed up on matters, but in a way that did not satisfy people," says Hannah. "I think there was a lot of fear and no additional police presence was proposed."
Finally, a group of residents sent a letter proposing the private security scheme.
Initially, the 'patrol loop' would include seven roads, with the provision that other roads could be added if residents were willing to pay the fee. It also included a price list: the more people signed up for the scheme, the cheaper it became. If 50 people signed up to hire one security guard and an accompanying vehicle, for 12 hours a day, every day of the week, it would cost each of them £145.60 a month. For 24 hour protection the fee was £291.20 per person.
Residents, dozens of whom had registered, opted for the 12-hour service. Those who agreed to take part were added to a separate WhatsApp group chat and currently pay around £100 per month.
Every evening the LSS car patrols the neighborhood and checks for suspicious activity. "The guard comes around eight o'clock at night, gets in the car... and drives through the streets all night," Hannah explains.
LSS says it "works with local police" to deliver "expertly designed patrols" proven to "significantly reduce residential crime in their respective neighborhoods."
Additionally, the company's website says it uses police data about crime trends and suspicious behavior on the streets where it operates. It also works with the Safer Neighborhood and Neighborhood Watch teams.
Amid the disturbing rise in car crime, the company appears to be growing in popularity. It now operates in at least 20 north London suburbs and its home counties, including Brockley Hill, Moor Park, Northwood, Beaconsfield and Epping, in Essex. In Radlett, Hertfordshire, "the London Security Syndicate's highly visible patrol vehicles have become a familiar sight," the website says.
Private security companies were once the domain of the wealthiest in society and now operate in ordinary middle-class communities. My Local Bobby, another residential security company, patrols places like Chigwell, Woodford and Trent Park, as well as the affluent enclaves of Notting Hill and Chelsea. Security Risk Specialists, or SRS, covers areas including Greenwich, Brent, Hounslow and Haringey.
At Gerrards Cross, not everyone agrees with the plan, fueling tensions between those who pay to 'opt-in' and those who don't but still benefit from the additional safety measures.
"Many people said: 'we don't want to pay for extra security'. And then there were other people who wanted to pay for it, and they said, 'How is this going to work?'" says Mary.
"It has created a divide between those who pay and those who don't," agrees Laura, who is applying for the program. "Some people are very reluctant to pay, but they like to have a car driving on their road that other people pay for. It makes me feel irritated."
Others believe the service is simply not necessary: "Personally, we didn't want to join and pay £100 a month to cover that risk," says Hannah. "It's a lot of money. We don't have an expensive car and we don't have the expensive things that some others really do.
Jane*, another resident, adds: "I think it's a bit unnecessary. We have never had a problem, we have lived here for 25 years and it is a very safe neighborhood."
John*, one of those who decided not to contribute, claims that security doesn't actually do anything that the police wouldn't do. "They just drive around. I asked the question, "If you saw someone committing a robbery, what would you do?" And they said, 'Call the police.'
"We can do that anyway, they don't have the authority to stop anyone if they see them, they're just patrolling the area, so I decided not to get involved as I didn't think there was any point."
To distinguish between 'paying members' and 'non-paying members', a system of yellow signs was set up in Gerrards Cross. Residents who opted for the scheme were allowed to display them outside their homes as a deterrent, and it was also agreed that security would only cover their homes. If anything were to happen to a paying resident's property, the security guard would be on site immediately. Residents who opt out will not receive any support.
Despite this, many paying residents of Gerrards Cross still feel that others in the community are taking advantage of the deterrent provided by the security car. And there are stories of the security vehicle intercepting crimes at non-paying homes: their Amazon packages are rescued from the clutches of criminals and car thefts are stopped.
Regardless of whether they participate or not, many residents agree they have seen a decrease in crime in the area and report feeling safer at night since the plan began.
"It gives you a reassuring feeling, there is a clear improvement," says Laura. "It doesn't mean there will never be more crime because things still happen, but I definitely feel safer. We know that if anything happens to our house, they will be there." For many here and elsewhere, it seems, peace of mind is priceless.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police said: "Crime affecting our communities is important to us, and our officers and staff work extremely hard to thoroughly investigate and reassure the public.
"We are committed to working closely with our communities to tackle crime and thankfully crime in the Gerrards Cross area remains low compared to the country.
"We are aware that some members of the community may wish to raise concerns with us, and we would encourage them to get in touch. We would also ask them to continue reporting crimes to us so that we can build and gather intelligence to bring offenders to justice and tackle the crime that affects them."
*Names have been changed
