Security issue: Vehicle theft
Vehicle theft is the crime of theft, or attempt of theft of or from a motor vehicle (automobile, truck, bus, motorcycle, etc.).
Contents
Description
This category includes both theft of and from vehicles in the same category, because the measures against it would be very alike from the viewpoint of an urban planner.
This category does not include: carjacking/joyriding, theft with access to keys, fraudulent theft, or opportunistic theft
Contributing circumstances
- location (attainability of theft)
- Deserted car parking lots, quiet junctions and residential areas are often targets. In addition, vehicles stuck in traffic are often targets for a 'smash and grab' incident where an item of value is clearly visible (e.g. handbag, purse, stereo, etc.)/
| Location | Thefts per 100,000 cars per 24 hours |
| Home garage | 2 |
| Home carport/drive | 40 |
| Home street | 117 |
- attractiveness of vehicles or items in vehicles
- proximity to known area with car theft
Impacts
Social impact
Economic impact
In terms of economic impact, the costs of vehicle theft, the parties on whom those costs fall, possible secondary economic impact, and a cost-effectiveness analysis of prevention measures should be assessed.
Although vehicle theft is not as intrusive as violent crime, it is both quite common and costly for society.[2] The direct costs of vehicle theft are for about 16% attributable to costs in anticipation of vehicle theft (e.g. anti-vehicle theft measures and insurance administration). Although this is considerable, the major part (almost 80% of the costs of vehicle theft are attributable to the consequence of vehicle theft, e.g. the value of the stolen vehicles (±45%), physical and emotional impact on victims (±15%), the costs of property recovered (±10%). The remaining 4% can be attributed to the costs in response of crime by the public authorities (policing and the criminal justice system)[3]. The average cost per event is with £4,000 (2003 prices) slightly higher than the average costs of a burglary[4]. This is mostly the result of higher preventive expenditures and the average value of the stolen vehicle and recovered vehicles.
Vehicle theft does not just create direct costs, but also creates secondary economic effects on society-at-large. First of all, victims of vehicle theft have to deal with opportunity costs as a result of the necessary administrative activities and a temporary unavailability of their vehicle (including companies who own transport vans or trucks) which could lead to a reduction in working time hours. Secondly, there is the opportunity costs of police and other public services. On top of that, there will be some very minor effects for the market for vehicles since there will be more demand for new vehicles and more supply of second-hand vehicles. In total, however, the secondary economic effects of vehicle theft are not that significant in comparison to for instance burglary of a dwelling. Theft from a vehicle that leaves broken glass, on the other hand, can have more negative effects on the neighbourhood since it negatively influences the perception of security for people living in the neighbourhood.
Mobility impact
safety impact
Measures
- surveillance
- reaction force
- target hardening
- access control (parkings)
- deflecting offenders
- Education (don't leave valuables in car)
Footnotes and references
- ↑ http://www.popcenter.org/problems/residential_car_theft/
- ↑ In 2006, about one million vehicles got stolen in both the United States and in the European Union. Source: Barham, J. (2011). Europe’s Car Thieves Go Upscale. Security management.
- ↑ Home Office, Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (2005). The economic and social costs of crime against individuals and households 2003/04.
- ↑ Ibid.
