The good news is that the ACT recorded a large decrease in the number of stolen cars in 2000-01, compared to an Australia-wide increase. The bad news is that the ACT came off a high base. The ACT the second-highest number of thefts per 1000 vehicles registered, at 14, only just behind NSW. It may be that that is due to the fact that the ACT is the most urbanised jurisdiction in Australia.
The main reasons for the drop in the ACT is an increase in the use of immobilisers, changes to the bail laws and a greater police attention to car theft.
Still, more can be done on the technology side. Eighty percent of the theft is opportunistic joy-riding. A lot of this can be avoided by the fitting of immobilisers. In Western Australia – where vehicle theft has dropped 41 per cent since March 1998 – immobilisers are compulsory for all new registrations (even of older cars being moved from interstate). The state has a scheme to subsidise the supply and fitting of immobilisers. The ACT should look at a similar scheme. The proportion of older cars and cars not fitted with immobilisers that get stolen is out of proportion to their total numbers. As the car fleet get renewed, thieves are bound to concentrate more on the dwindling number of older cars.
Australia-wide car theft is a major economic problem. The cost is approaching $1 billion a year, just for the insurance claims. And there are other costs in the criminal justice system. Moreover, it is likely that car theft then leads to other crime during the joy-ride or upon reaching a destination.
The other 20 per cent of thefts are professional ones. The cars are not recovered. Unfortunately, Australia’s multi-jurisdictional car-registration system makes the life of the professional thief easier. A car wrecked in one state or territory can have its compliance plates applied to a conglomerate of parts or whole cars stolen in another state or territory. A national register of written-off vehicles and system of parts marking – as suggested by the Motor Trades Association – would help. It is probably a bit much to expect our parochial states and territories to come up with an Australia-wide vehicle registration system, given that the present system is such a miltch-cow with stamp duty levied every time someone moves residence to another state or territory.