Brakes On Car Theft
Central Coast Herald
Tuesday January 14, 2003
CAR theft is plummeting at a record rate throughout the Central Coast, resulting in the lowest annual total of reported stolen vehicles since the early 1980s.
A nationwide survey of car theft trends found 28% fewer cars stolen in the Gosford local government area in the 12 months to last September compared with the previous year.
The 12 months to last September resulted in 793 car thefts, compared with 1103 the previous year.
In Wyong, thefts were down 17%, leaving the most recent figure at 885 thefts compared with the previous year's 1062 total.
The survey was a joint initiative of the Insurance Council of Australia and the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council.
Overall, the region fared significantly better than the statewide average, which showed an 18% drop.
NSW Police Northern Region Commander Peter Parsons said the decline had continued and even accelerated on the Central Coast and the Hunter in the final quarter of last year.
`These results are very heartening for us and are an indication of a lot of hard work by a lot of people,' he said.
Assistant Commissioner Parsons said greater police focus on known car thieves together with cheaper engine immobilisers improved forensic technology and greater public awareness had helped curb the problem.
`It goes without saying that where you have large numbers of motor vehicles parked unattended for any length of time, then that is going to be a hot spot,' Mr Parsons said.
`The offenders need time on their hands to be able to steal a car without being interrupted by security or large numbers of people walking around.'
National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council executive director Ray Carroll said a crackdown on the illegal vehicle `rebirthing' industry had further helped reduce demand for stolen cars.
Despite the decline, car theft still costs Australians $700-800million a year.
Cars older than 10 years make up 70% of stolen cars Australia-wide, with the average insurance claim for car theft from last July-September about $8400.
The most popular late model vehicles for NSW car thieves included the Hyundai Excel, the Holden Commodore and the Toyota Hilux.
© 2003 Central Coast Herald
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