The most recent statistics on motor vehicle theft indicate there were 139,943 motor vehicles stolen in 2001 - a one per cent increase on the number recorded stolen in 2000. In cases where the place of motor vehicle theft was specified, 61 per cent occurred in community locations, namely streets/footpaths (42 per cent), car parks (11 per cent) and other community locations (eight per cent). Thefts from street/footpath locations increased in 2001 compared to 2000 (up four per cent) as did thefts from other community locations (up nine per cent), but thefts from car park locations decreased (down eight per cent). One in five motor vehicles stolen in Australia was taken from a residential location in 2001, a figure similar to that recorded in 2000. The number of motor vehicle thefts in retail and other locations decreased by seven per cent and four per cent, respectively, from the previous year.
Location of motor vehicle theft, 2001 [see attached PDF for pie chart]
Source
- Australian Crime: Facts and Figures 2002, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.