Thieves target evening beachgoers

State Insurance is urging beachgoers to take extra care securing their cars at the beach this Waitangi weekend, particularly during the twilight hours.

State’s Research Centre has identified through claims data from 2008 to the present that the most popular time of the day for car thieves to strike at beaches is between the hours of 6pm and midnight.

“With many families and holiday makers looking to spend long hours at the beach or at waterfront cafes, restaurants and bars in the evenings, we’d like to encourage car owners to take extra care with locking their vehicles and making sure all valuables are either removed from cars or kept well out of sight over Waitangi weekend,” said Brendan McGillicuddy, General Manager State Claims.

The data from State here in New Zealand differs from data across the Tasman, where NRMA Insurance recently identified that the majority of car thefts and break-ins at or near beaches in Australia occurred between the hours of 6am and midday.

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