THE Government has acknowledged the fleet industry's role in fighting car crime. Crime prevention minister Tom Sackville said the fleet and leasing industry's progress in forcing manufacturers to upgrade car security had improved standards of security for all car buyers.

Speaking at the presentation of the annual British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association security awards, Sackville congratulated the winners - Ford and Rover - for the strides they had taken in combating car crime, which last year fell by more than 10,000 offences.

Ford's debut in the awards turned into a double celebration, when it scooped the titles in both the car and light commercial categories for the Mondeo and Transit. Rover took the Luxury car prize for the Range Rover. Controversially, the BVRLA refused to make an award in the HGV category because the judges did not feel any of the entries met their criteria. Leyland DAF did however receive a special commendation for making some progress.