There are two types of car
thieves: the opportunist and the professional. What they have in common is that they can both steal a car in less than a minute.
The
opportunist - The
opportunist is a person who may see your car as a means of transport, a joy
ride, or to use in committing another type of crime. Often, when a car has been
stolen by an opportunist and is recovered, it is returned to the owner in a
damaged condition.
Professional
car thieves - Professional
car thieves are motivated differently. They steal cars for profit. They are
normally well organised, work in teams and are either after specific car parts
or intend to change your car's identity, to resell it later.
Tips to
help you prevent vehicle theft - Cars get
stolen all the time so you can never guarantee it will not happen to you. Here
are some tips to help prevent would-be thieves.
- Never leave keys in the ignition when your vehicle is unattended.
- Close all windows and lock all doors before leaving your car unattended.
- Lock your car when paying for fuel.
- Do not leave valuables within view, lock them in the boot or take them with you.
- Do not leave registration papers, driver's licence or other papers or cards in an unattended car - this could advise a thief that the home address of the owner is unattended at the time.
- Do not have your personal address on tags attached to car keys.
- Do not hide spare car keys anywhere on the car.
Theft
from your car - Belongings
being stolen from cars is arguably one of the most under reported crimes within
our community. Victims of this crime invariably:
- Are not insured to cover the loss or have an excess attached to their policy which exceeds the value of the loss.
- Refuse to lose their no claim bonus by claiming for their loss.
Tips to
help you prevent theft from your car
- When leaving your valuables in a car do not hide them upon arrival as thieves could be monitoring the car park. Instead place handbags out of sight prior to parking.
- Do not leave loose change within view, thieves will do hundreds of dollars of damage to steal small amounts of money.
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