Does Your Car Feature On This Commonly Stolen List? Police Issue Warning To Vehicle Owners
Inspector Trevor Beggs, Tamaki Makaurau Police:
Police are warning car owners, particularly
those with a Mazda Demio or
Nissan Tiida, to have
security measures in place to help prevent
their
vehicles from being stolen by
offenders.
In the past 12 month period from 1st July
2020 - 30th June 2021, almost 9,500
vehicles were
reported stolen across Tāmaki Makaurau.
The most
commonly stolen vehicle models during this period were the
Mazda
Demio (825) and Nissan Tiida
(777).
Rounding out the top five most commonly stolen
vehicles were the Mazda Atenza
(364), Subaru Legacy
(304) and Subaru Impreza (243).
These five vehicle
models made up over 25% of all vehicles stolen
across
Auckland in the past year.
Around 6,900 of these stolen vehicles were eventually recovered.
A large number of vehicles were reported
stolen from public/commercial areas
such as
shopping centre carparks, as well as outside residential
addresses.
Inspector Trevor Beggs says some vehicle
models are seen by offenders as
being easier to
steal than others, and these models are being
specifically
targeted. The vehicles are often used
to commit further offences and harm in
our
community.
“Many used imported second hand vehicles
do not have factory fitted
immobilisers, making
them a preferred targets for offenders.
“We always
encourage vehicle owners to take simple steps to prevent
their
vehicles being taken, but owners of these
particular models should be aware
that their
vehicles are the most frequently targeted and they need to
take
precautions."
“Vehicle crime tends to
be opportunistic and offenders look for
easy
targets or quick gains if they see valuables
left in vehicles.
“The solution is straight-forward;
the more security measures you have in
place, the
harder it is for offenders to steal your vehicle and the
less
likely it is that you will be
targeted.”
Below are important steps you can take to
prevent your vehicle being
targeted:
- Use a
steering lock – these are inexpensive and a great
deterrent
- Install an immobiliser
- Avoid leaving
your vehicle parked on the street if possible and park
down
driveways and out of sight from the road
-
If parking on the street, park in well-lit areas such as
under street
lights
- Never leave any valuables
in your vehicle.
- Have a car alarm
installed
Inspector Beggs says Police are committed to
holding those who steal vehicles
to
account.
“Anyone who has had their car stolen will
understand how distressing and
stressful it is and
we take these offences seriously.”
More than 1300
charges have been laid in relation to the unlawful taking of
a
motor vehicle for offences committed across
Tamaki Makaurau in the 12 months
between July 2020
and June 2021.
Police urge anyone in our community who
sees suspicious behaviour around
vehicles to
contact us immediately by phoning
111.