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NSW and Victoria annual crime statistics have revealed a return to pre-pandemic levels of car theft particularly in regional areas.
The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) found stolen car offences hit an historic low in September 2021 and have steadily accelerated since.
This follows a decline in car thefts over the past two decades.
Police said regional stolen cars were largely “used for joyriding or transport” by young and adult men.
There is a 66.2 per cent average chance of those cars being recovered in NSW.
New South Wales
NSW Police crime statistics found motor vehicle theft is accelerating in the state.
Vehicle theft in Greater Sydney has increased by 20 per cent from 4,928 incidents in 2021-2022 to 5,961 in 2022-2023.
But car theft in Greater Sydney was still lower than the years leading to the pandemic.
Car theft is rising in regional areas including the New England and North West, Richmond-Tweed, the Far West and the Mid North Coast.
The New England and North West region had a 67.2 per cent increase in car thefts over the past five years.
Car theft in Richmond-Tweed increased by 34.5 per cent, the Far West and Orana by 31.2 per cent and the Mid North Coast by 21.1 per cent.
Cars stolen in regional NSW were likely to be recovered, according to the data.
NSW Police recovered 80 of 82 cars reported stolen in the Armidale region between March 2022 and April 2023. And 174 out of 194 cars stolen from Tamworth that year.
But recovery rates were lower in other areas of the state.
Only 44 out of 105 cars stolen from Queanbeyan-Palerang in the Southern Tablelands were found.
BOCSAR executive director Jackie Fitzgerald said “the recent increase in vehicle theft is at least partially a bounce-back from the COVID-driven crime declines of 2020 and 2021 as pandemic restrictions eased”.
“Another factor however, may be young people being spurred on by social media posts encouraging vehicle thefts on TikTok,” she said.
The statistics show an 87.1 per cent rise in Kia thefts over five years that could be connected to the “Kia Boys” hashtag circulating on TikTok with tips for stealing the make.
There were 262 Kia’s reported stolen over the past year in NSW.
Victoria
Vehicle theft in Victoria increased by an average of almost 18 per cent, which police “heavily attribute” to cars stolen during burglaries.
Dangerous driving offences increased in Victoria by 17 per cent over the year, police said.
Victoria Police said the rise in dangerous driving offences could be partially explained by it’s increased road presence and “proactive enforcement”.
But “it remains disappointing that a small number of drivers continue to willingly put themselves and other road users at severe risk of death or a life altering injury”.
Victoria Police says it recovers around four in five stolen cars but concern remains for “underage offenders driving these high-powered vehicles at reckless speeds”.
