Fremantle top suburb for car theft
11 November 2008
Fremantle has been identified as the number one suburban ‘hot spot’ for car theft by Western Australia’s peak motoring body, the RAC.
Five of the top 10 suburbs – Cannington (4), Armadale (7), Midland (8), Thornlie (10) and Gosnells (10) – are concentrated in the south-east metropolitan area and most of the top 10 suburbs are commercial hubs with a large concentration of cars.
The RAC figures, complied using claims data from the past three years, show the top 10 suburbs for car theft to be:
1) Fremantle
2) Perth
3) Morley
4) Cannington
5) Mandurah
6) Joondalup
7) Armadale
8) Midland
9) Thornlie
10) Gosnells.
The RAC’s Head of Member Advocacy Matt Brown said although car theft had decreased over the past 10 years, it was on the rise again and motorists needed to be vigilant.
“These figures show that car theft is still a problem in Western Australia and motorists need to remember to take simple precautions when they park their car,” Mr Brown said.
“Some of these precautions include parking in a well-lit area, using secure car parks and having an immobiliser fitted if your car doesn’t already have one."
He said cars left at home needed to be kept, where possible, in a garage or carport because cars left on the verge were more likely to be stolen.
“We are also hearing that car keys are being stolen during burglaries. So with more of us catching public transport and leaving our cars at home, it is important not only to lock the house, but to make sure the car keys can’t be easily found by a burglar,” Mr Brown said.
The RAC has also revealed older model Holden Commodores are the most frequently stolen vehicle, with various models of the Commodore (1987 to 1993) filling seven of the top 10 places for cars stolen.
“The Commodore is a very popular Australian car and with those in the top 10 being older models they are easier for thieves to break into and steal than the newer models. They were also all produced before the inclusion of immobilisers became compulsory in WA,” Mr Brown said.
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