Is your car about to be stolen?
One state stands above the rest for car theft – and stakeholders fear the issue will soon get worseVictoria has been revealed as the stolen car capital of Australia following a 35 per cent increase in thefts during the past year.
State government and insurance industry research released this week shows that car theft rose 7 per cent nationally during the 2015/2016 financial year, with some 54,094 incidents reported.
According to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, Victoria was the standout jurisdiction in passenger car theft, with 15,111 incidents recorded, along with significant jumps in motorcycle and heavy vehicle theft. The research also revealed a spike in Queensland and Western Australian incidents, but a 13 per cent reduction in NSW.
The research is measured in terms short term theft and profit-motivated theft, with a prominent increase in the latter in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. The increase coincides with reports of an increase in car jackings, along with high instances of opportunistic thieves stealing vehicles to sell them for scrap metal and spare parts.
According to Geoff Gwilym, the executive director of the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce, state governments need to move swiftly on the issue.
“The increasing number of vehicle thefts is most concerning, given many of these are associated with a growing rate of aggravated burglaries and car-jacking in Victoria,” he said.
Gwilym urged the Victorian government to implement legislation banning cash transactions for scrap vehicles and parts. It comes as new legislation is being enacted in NSW, introduced following an extensive UK trial which revealed a sharp decrease in vehicle theft.
“VACC has warned the Victorian State Government that once these new laws are passed in NSW they should expect the rate of profit related vehicle theft in Victoria to increase, as the thieves move over the border where the new laws don’t exist,” Gwilym said.
“By the time government completes its analysis, pilot programs, talk-fests, and reports, the theft rate will have increased dramatically. It needs to take direct action immediately. Victorians fear more vehicle theft-related house break-ins, with families bearing the brunt of government inaction.”
Despite the latest findings, the national car theft average remains 8 per cent down from five years ago.
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