Victorians Help Defeat Car Theft Crisis
If you live in Victoria, you probably are heavily reliant on vehicle transport, and the increasing number of vehicle theft may have particularly disrupted your way of life, impacting your livelihood and daily routine. Car theft crisis caused by numerous vehicle-related crimes have affected the region, both socially and financially.
In the past years, we have seen dynamic changes in ways criminals steal cars causing bizarre effect in car theft tactics. As technology develops, these criminals have their own ways improving their strategy and use of technology.
The change in the way criminals are stealing cars has largely been driven out of necessity — as offenders have had to overcome increased vehicle security technologies in order to commit their crimes.
Change has also taken place as to where vehicles are being stolen. Shopping centre and railway station car parks were most popular main target for car thieves in the past. Nowadays, more cars are being stolen from residential streets, usually outside homes, from driveways, carports and household garages.
The majority of these vehicles were never recovered and are suspected to be re-designed and sold in chunks, individual parts or even shipped overseas for untraceable profit-generating business. Others are used for serious criminal activities, including armed robberies, commercial burglaries, kidnappings and shootings.
Recovered stolen vehicles have been mostly used for a short period of time, often by young offenders who engage in high-risk behaviours resulting to encounters with police officers. Such activities significantly risk the community of being injured or even killed.These incidents of car theft has been seen greatly affecting innocent people, particularly the victims of these associated crimes.
The effort of the Police is aimed to go to the next level and prevent car theft crisis across the region. In partnership with the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC), trial has been raised to introduce GPS vehicle-tracking technology in which a thousand cars will be installed with a GPS tracking device before the end of the year. This is a potential resolution in terms of eliminating vehicle theft and other related crimes.
People also read: Victorian Police Requested GPS Tracking Implementation
These trackers will enable police to monitor, track and recover vehicles quickly and effectively and also reduce opportunities for stolen vehicles to be used to commit other crimes.
Victoria Police has diversified ways in solving this car theft crisis and is committed to continually improving its understanding of what is causing the problem.
GPS tracking systems are activated using a mobile phone application, which the owners of stolen vehicles can use to alert police who now have the capability to track the movement of the vehicle from the state monitoring centre.
While Victoria Police and its partners continue the work to further reduce vehicle-related theft, Victorian community is encouraged to reduce their chances of becoming victims of crime.
People of Victoria, who now have an improved sense of understanding and knowledge with regards to vehicle theft, has increased acceptance of responsibility for the security of their own properties.
Here are 5 key tips to avoid your car from being stolen:
1. Don’t leave your keys anywhere. Leaving your keys is like giving away your car to potential thieves. Always secure your keys, carry them with you and keep your spare keys in safe places.
2. Secure your car windows and doors. It may be safe in your driveway, but don’t be complacent. Always make sure that your windows and doors are locked the moment you step out of your car.
3. Find a secure parking area. Park your vehicle in areas near the establishment entrances, or anywhere close to security cameras. Do not park in isolated areas.
4. Never leave your valuables unattended. Don’t leave your bags, money, laptops, mobile phones and other valuable items inside your car because these things will make your car the next target. If you might take these devices when you travel, make sure you travel with someone so he can watch over your things while you are away.
5. Use anti-theft devices. Technology is not developed for no reason. Use anti-theft devices such as vehicle immobilizer systems preventing thieves from hot wiring your car, and GPS tracking devices in which police can automatically be alerted and they can then keep track of your vehicle just in case it’s been stolen.
Our vigilance is always key to our own safety. As the old saying goes, “Safety first is Safety always”. Let’s always be watchful, not only when needed, but for all times in all occasions.