CAR THEFT HOT SPOTS

IF you live in Corio and drive a Holden Commodore watch out — your car could be a target for thieves.

New data shows Corio is Geelong’s car theft hot spot, with 220 cars stolen from the suburb across a three-year period.

And the Holden Commodore has been named the car of choice among thieves, with 58 stolen across Geelong and the Surf Coast in 2020.

New National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) data shows 482 cars were stolen across Greater Geelong last year, with 45 swiped from Surf Coast addresses.

A total of 1700 cars were stolen from the two government areas between 2018 and 2020, with a further 211 motorbikes also reported as stolen.

Overwhelmingly, the stolen vehicles were listed as shortterm thefts (1293) with just 407 classed as profit-motivated thefts.

After Corio, the suburb of Geelong recorded the next highest number of car thefts (123), followed by Norlane (121) and Belmont (115). North Geelong also recorded 115 thefts from 2018-20, while Highton recorded just 53.

Last year 255 cars were stolen from properties in Greater Geelong, while 111 were stolen from the street and 45 swiped from businesses.

NMVTRC chief executive Geoff Hughes said COVID-19 had a “significant dampening impact” on theft volumes, but he warned car owners against becoming complacent.

Mr Hughes said the local data showed most thieves were now using the vehicle’s keys to take cars.

“Looking at the top targets, with the exception of the pre-2001 models they all have acceptable levels of electronic protection and will have been stolen using the vehicle’s own key, mostly via a residential burglary,” he said.

“Many of the thefts recorded as occurring from the street, will be a street adjacent to the owner’s home.”

Mr Hughes said car owners could easily help prevent sneak thefts by keeping their keys out of sight and locking all doors and windows at their home.

He said thieves commonly targeted the Nissan Pulsar because it did not have any form of engine immobiliser and could be broken into using a coathanger or a screwdriver.

Geelong FX-HZ Holden Club organiser Barry Adams said it was “no secret” the Commodores were popular among crooks. “They are pretty easy to get into and to get started,” he said.

Mr Adams said the earlier Commodores were the easiest to break into and suggested the cars could one day become collector’s items after Holden ended car production last year.

Motorists can get security tips, including a link to a quick home security checklist developed by Neighbourhood Watch, at carsafe.com.au