Car theft rates rise in Darling Downs

How to protect yourself from thieves

MORE than 170 cars stolen from homes and businesses across the Darling Downs in the past financial year were yet to be found by police struggling to get residents to lock and secure their vehicles.

Official figures show 786 vehicles were stolen between July 1, 2018, and June 30 this year.

Of those, 607 have been recovered in varying states of damage, the worst being burnt out in deliberate arson attacks.

It left 179 vehicles yet to be located.

“It’s a higher than average level,” Toowoomba Crime Prevention Unit Sergeant Tony Rehn said.

Figures for the same period from 2017-18 revealed 592 vehicles were stolen, with 461 recovered.

While the figures have increased, Sgt Rehn said the methods used by thieves had largely remained the same with what police termed “sneak breaks” the most common practice.

He said most thefts were opportunistic, with offenders finding vehicles unlocked with keys inside, or stolen from visible places inside homes which thieves had broken into.

“Most modern cars can’t be stolen because they have immobilisers built into them,” he said.

“The thefts are still opportunistic, but I think offenders have woken up to the face that people don’t pay attention to their safety.”

Vehicles left running on the street while owners stepped away for small periods of time have also been stolen.

Other methods, though

rare, include smashing windows to gain entry to vehicles to steal them, or items of value left in clear view inside.

Statewide, a total of 16,322 cars, motorcycles and trucks were reported stolen in the past financial year, up from 14,133 the year before.

The statewide average of vehicle recovery after theft is about a third, with police reporting “varying conditions” once located.

Queensland Police yesterday launched an appeal for vehicle owners to consider installing GPS trackers to help officers locate cars and trucks if stolen.

Sgt Rehn said while most modern vehicles had built-in systems which alerted owners to unlocked doors, locks should be checked and valuables removed from sight.

“Lock your vehicle and make sure of it,” he said.

“The flow-on effect for people is that if their car gets stolen, it’s a big disadvantage to them.

“Financially, it will hurt people.”

Crime trends show no suburb is immune from opportunistic thefts, with different suburbs targeted at various times.

“There’s no particular area as offenders move through spaces and choose their targets,” Sgt Rehn said.