Car thefts increase 23% this year

The end of the COVID lockdown and the economy’s return to routine led to a 23% increase in car thefts in the first half of 2021, Ituran Location and Control Ltd. reported Tuesday.

The number of car thefts from underground parking lots jumped about 700%, compared with 2020, the report said.

“Since the beginning of 2021, Ituran has led to the arrest of 56 squads of car thieves, whose arrest will save the Israeli economy about NIS 304 million within a year,” Ituran CEO Nir Sheratzky said in the report.

According to the report, the car key was in the thief’s possession in 27% of car thefts; 39% of the incidents began with a violent burglary and then an attempt to hack the car’s computers; 16% of the incidents were coded through the vehicle’s OBD socket and 9% of the incidents were carried out by towing and loading onto another vehicle.