Entry revised for OED Online

twk

twk

Forms: 19- TWOC, 19- Twoc, 19- twoc.

[Acronym < the initial letters of taking without owner's consent.
Cf.:
    1968 Theft Act c. 60 § 12 (1) A person shall be guilty of an offence if, without having the consent of the owner or other lawful authority, he takes any conveyance for his own or another's use or, knowing that any conveyance has been taken without such authority, drives it or allows himself to be carried in or on it. ]

Brit. slang (orig. Police).
    The offence of taking a car without the owner's consent, esp. for the purpose of joy-riding; (an instance of) car theft. Cf. TDA n. at T n.
The original implication of the acronym is that the offence centres on cars stolen for joyriding, then subsequently abandoned. However, the term often encompasses outright theft.

1972 MS Entry 20 Oct. in Police Notebk. (Durham Constabulary) (O.E.D. Archive) 5 Arrested [him], 17 yrs. Suspected T.W.O.C. 1977 D. WINN Murder Ink 321/2 T.W.O.C., Taking Without Owner's Consent (spoken as 'twock'): unlawfully borrowing a motor vehicle ('I arrested two men for T.W.O.C.').

1990 Oxf. Times 27 July 15/2 Twocto rhyme with ‘clock’is police shorthand for the offence of taking and driving away a vehicle without its owner's consent... From the victim's point of view, ‘only a twoc’ has a very hollow ring to it. 1992 Police Rev. 17 Jan. 130/1 This rather peculiar Bill..deals with the basic TWOC offence where the vehicle was driven dangerously or was damaged or was driven in a way which led to personal injury or damage to property. 2002 Evening Chron. (Newcastle) (Electronic ed.) 19 Mar., Other charges have also been made for car crime including theft and TWOC.