Global Gathering in Warsaw: Discussing Strategies to Combat Car Theft on an International Scale

The Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Office, under the leadership of the overall project, has been making significant strides in combating cross-border vehicle crime. Since the commencement of the "Combating Cross-Border Vehicle Crime" sub-project in January 2023, this endeavour has seen impressive results.

Over the course of the project, participating investigation and enforcement agencies have processed 503 investigation proceedings in 37 joint operations. This collaborative approach has been instrumental in the recovery of 120 stolen vehicles, leading to the seizure of assets worth over 700,000 euros.

The project, known as "ISF LUMEN," is spearheaded by the International Security Forum (ISF), headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The EU-funded initiative primarily focuses on combating international vehicle theft.

The second operational conference on combating international vehicle trafficking took place from September 2 to 4, 2025, in Warsaw. The conference, jointly organized by the Central Investigation Bureau of the Polish Police and the Specialist Commission of the Berlin State Criminal Office, was attended by 52 police officers from 16 investigation and enforcement agencies from Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany.

At the conference, a total of 21 criminal proceedings were presented, which were the focus of the internationally oriented event. These actions have resulted in multi-year prison sentences, and several convictions are still pending.

The joint approach to combating transnational criminal groups, predominantly from Eastern Europe, has been strengthened and further expanded at the conference. International cooperation for developing cross-border strategies against organized vehicle crime is increasingly becoming a European standard.

For more information, please contact the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Office Press Office at [email protected] or by telephone at 0711 5401-2044.

Global Gathering in Warsaw: Discussing Strategies to Combat Car Theft on an International Scale