Car Theft Tactics !

When immobilizers became compulsory on all new cars sold in Australia back in July 2001 the theft rate was at about 142,000 cars a year.  That has dropped to somewhere in the vicinity of 52,000 now, but new tactics have been deployed and today's car thief is a vastly more clever animal !

Police statistics show that car theft is much more likely to be the outcome of a break and enter crime at the owner's home.  When a car is not in use by it's owner the keys are often conspicuously somewhere in the house and if a particular make and model is the objective of the thief, this is a far easier way of attaining that objective.

There has also been a change in the recovery rate.  Before immobilizers only about fifteen percent of stolen cars were never seen again, but now that has jumped to thirty-one percent because many luxury cars are either stripped for parts, or shipped overseas and given new "birthing "records to be legally sold in another country.

The style and type of theft has also changed dramatically.   Once the favourite haunt of car thieves was commuter parking at railway stations and cars parked at shopping centres.  Those are still attractive for "joyriders "making off with pre immobilizer era cars, but the vast majority of car theft now happens outside the owners residence.

The world of technology that gave us the immobilizer also provides what is called a "diagnostic unit " needed by mechanics who work on cars - to disable the car's immobilizer - and they are freely available for as little as $ 150.    This clever little gizmo simply plugs into a socket under the dashboard and turns off the immobilizer to allow the mechanic to access the cars computer system and search it's memory bank for faults that need repair.   They are an integral part of the car repair trade - and obviously they are also falling into the hands of criminals.

A new tactic is emerging.  The target is the upper echelon of high priced luxury cars virtually stolen to order to satisfy the demand from an overseas buyer - and in many cases an individual colour is part of the deal.   The thieves simply cruise the streets of affluent neighbourhoods looking for the cars of visiting guests parked in the street.  Most cars are fairly easy to gain access because owners rely on the immobilizer to deter theft, but with this latest technology in hand that famous "gone in seconds" rule applies.

So far, a phenomenon that is quite common in some overseas countries has not made an appearance in Australia.    Hijacking by menacing a driver at gun point and driving away with the desired vehicle is still a very rare occurrence here.   In some parts of the world, acquiring a conspicuously high priced vehicle brings the danger of attracting the attention of both car thieves, but also an underworld that specialises in holding captives for ransom.

It seems that these days, choosing the car we intend to drive requires an evaluation of the risk factor. Provided the vehicle is adequately insured, no personal risk accompanies our taste for luxury !