Rise in car thefts causes concern in Christchurch

Christchurch has seen incidents of car thefts going up in the past few weeks, and it's causing major inconvenience to people all over town.

A few weeks ago, Sanjoy Das, a resident of Sockburn, was shocked to discover that his car had been stolen from in front of his house. This was the first time Das had parked his car on the street instead of in the garage as he usually did. He searched the area and contacted several towing companies before reporting the theft to the Police.

The car was located in a severely damaged condition the following day.

Das says, "At first, I suspected that the crime may have been motivated by racism, but later learned about the spike in car theft incidents. I discovered three incidents were reported on my street in a few days, in which either the cars were stolen, or the contents were targeted by breaking the car windows."

Another one of his friends reported that a bag containing money, a passport, and other documents was stolen from his car.

"Also, I'm now concerned that my son's bike, which he rides to play football, might be targeted by thieves.

"My mental stress was exacerbated by the $1,000 excess on the insurance policy and the inconvenience of having to live without the car."

According to police data, there have been 881 vehicles stolen in the last six months. RNZ's provisional figures indicate that 414 cars were reported stolen in the city in December, compared to 459 in October and 455 in November. Additionally, during November, Police received over 150 reports of vehicle thefts in just a single week.

In May 2022, a similar uptick in car theft incidents was reported in Christchurch, with 10-year-olds stealing cars for joyrides.

In August 2022, AA Insurance reported a 36.5 per cent increase in motor vehicle thefts nationwide.

Burglars are also using stolen cars to cause ramraids and robberies.

The Police have acknowledged the increase in car theft reports. They have been organizing events to raise awareness, provide prevention advice and demonstrate how to install steering wheel locks and anti-theft license plate screws. They recommend parking in well-lit areas or out of sight, and not keeping valuables in cars.

Additionally, the Police stated will be giving away a limited number of steering locks to owners of high-risk car models such as Nissan Tiida, Toyota Aqua, MarkX, Mazda Demio, and Subaru Impreza.

"It was embarrassing to have this incident occur when my in-laws are visiting. They always thought New Zealand was a peaceful and safe country. I hope Police will increase patrols and introduce stricter penalties for offenders, to be more proactive in tackling this issue," Das said.