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Vehicle theft

Australia has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft in the world with around 82,900 motor vehicles stolen in 2009-10. Vehicle theft costs the community an estimated $1 billion each year with young opportunistic thieves responsible for three out of every four cars stolen. Work on reducing Australia’s vehicle theft rate is being carried out across all tiers of government. On this website, the AIC has drawn together links to useful resources on this subject, together with a collection of its own related research work.

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• National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council publications
  Various research reports, statistics, newsletters and practical guides on vehicle theft issues and prevention
• CARS Knowledgebank
  National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council
• Insurance Bureau Vehicle Crime (Netherlands)
• Operation Bounceback
  National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council
• Streetwize youth communications
  National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council
• U-Turn Programme
  National Crime Prevention, Australian Government Attorney-General's Department
• Vehicle crime and roads policing
  Home Office (UK)
• Rates of participation in burglary and motor vehicle theft : estimates and implications for policy
  Don Weatherburn, Jiuzhao Hua and Steve Moffatt, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. 2009
• Drug use and vehicle crime : an analysis of DUMA data on offenders arrested for motor vehicle theft (PDF 303kB)
  Emma Ziersch and Nick Turner. CARS (Comprehensive auto-theft research system) information bulletin, 2005
• Linking research to policy : the U-turn experience in Tasmania 
  Vanessa Goodwin. Safety, crime and justice : from data to policy conference, 2005
• Reducing theft of and theft from motor vehicles offences : the Victoria Police experience 
  Uma Rao and David Darragh. Safety, crime and justice : from data to policy conference, 2005
• Targeting burglary : ACT Policing's Operation Halite (PDF 228kB)
  AFP Platypus magazine, 2005
• ACT property crime reduction strategy : building a safer community | Summary
  ACT Department of Justice and Community Safety, 2004
• Best practice model and business plan for a young recidivist car theft offender programme
  Ann Sharley + Associates, report for National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, 2002
• Partnerships: from rhetoric to reality - a case study in vehicle theft prevention 
  Ray Carroll, Crime prevention conference, 2002
• Review of the street legal program (MS Word 408kB)
  Jennifer West and Allison Miller, report for National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, 2001
• Thefts of and from cars in parking facilities
  Ronald V Clarke, Center for Problem-Oriented Policing, 2001
• Time to ride: youth and the culture of joyriding in rural Queensland 
  Glenn Dawes, The character, impact and prevention of crime in regional Australia conference, 2001
• CARS : the monitoring, research and evaluation of motor vehicle theft in South Australia 
  Paul Thomas, Second national outlook symposium : violent crime, property crime and public policy, 1997

Practical prevention guides

• Preventing car theft and crime in car parks
  Susan Geason and Paul R Wilson, Crime prevention series, 1990

Resources for communities, organisations and practitioners

• Tackling vehicle theft : a guide for local communities, 2004 (PDF 302kB)
  National Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Council
• Thefts of and from cars in parking facilities - Problem-oriented policing guide
  Ronald V Clarke, Center for Problem-Oriented Policing (US)
• Vehicle crime toolkit
  Crime Reduction (UK)

Resources for vehicle owners

• Theft from motor vehicles : identifying potential offenders : a good practice guide
  National Audit Office, London : National Audit Office. 2007
• Information for motorists
  National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council
• Motor vehicle crime : protect your car and valuables (PDF 267kB)
  Carsafe, Tasmania Police and Tasmania Crime Prevention and Community Safety Council
• Bicycle security | Motor vehicle security
  Queensland Police Service
• Help, to secure your car
  NRMA

Recent publications

• Motor vehicle theft and recovery in Australia
  06 December 2005
• Facts and figures : motor vehicle theft
  30 March 2004
• Facts and figures: motor vehicle theft
  15 April 2003
• Low risk for car thieves
  22 January 2002
• The stolen vehicle parts market
  04 October 2001
• Exploring motor vehicle theft in Australia
  04 June 1997

Recent events

• Burglary and car theft : is your property safe?
  02 December 1996