Filenews 10 September 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivassilis
More than one vehicle a day is the subject of theft in Cyprus with most of them being detected, however some disappear forever. Some end up in the occupied areas, some thrown into dams, while others are dissolved into components and are never detected.
The bad habit of leaving our vehicles with the engine running or turned off but with the keys in the ignition is the main reason that leads to vehicle thefts. Sophisticates take advantage of this fact, grab the vehicles and disappear. The perpetrators seem to prefer small vehicles that are more easily stolen mainly for parts.
According to data from the Police provided to "F" by the Press Office, from 2020 until 4/9/2022, 1240 vehicles have been stolen, of which 933 were located, while 307 are still being sought. This is a significant number of vehicles that change hands even temporarily, but most of them are located in less than 48 hours. Specifically, in 2020, 488 vehicles were stolen, of which 384 were found, while 104 were never found. In 2021, 404 vehicle thefts were reported and either the Police or the owners or with the help of citizens, 297 were identified, while 107 are "missing". This year, until 4/9/2022, 348 vehicles were declared as stolen, of which 252 have been identified and returned to their owners, while 96 remain on the list of stolen goods.
Most thefts occur in Limassol and Nicosia, followed by Paphos. In some cases, vehicles are stolen from various places to be used for criminal acts, and then they are found burned apparently to make the traces of the perpetrators disappear. As the head of the Communication and Public Relations Branch of the Police, Christos Andreou, told "F", incidents of car theft are observed at regular intervals, often due to the unsafe guarding of the vehicle or its keys by the owner or the responsible driver. For the purpose of preventing such incidents of theft, he adds, the Police are taking special measures with motorized and pedestrian patrols in areas where there are increased cases of theft of motor vehicles, but also for the identification and arrest of any suspected persons.
As Mr. Andreou explained, when a complaint is made to the Police, the details of the stolen vehicle are immediately registered in the Police system and all actions are taken to locate it, as well as to arrest the perpetrators. When the suspects are identified and arrested, the case is immediately registered for trial and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
In addition to the efforts made by the Police to prevent them, notes the spokesperson of the Corps, the public is urged to be particularly careful and take further measures for the more effective safekeeping of their property. The responsible drivers of vehicles should take seriously into account that the sophisticates are lurking and therefore, even in the event of a few minutes' removal from their vehicle, they must take all those measures that would prevent its theft.
In 8th place Cyprus
The British insurance agency Confused.com ranks Cyprus eighth in Europe in relation to vehicle thefts. According to data cited by Eurostat and evaluated on the basis of what each country said, from 2011 to 2019 it states that in Cyprus 149 vehicles are stolen per 100,000 inhabitants every year. Although these figures are not in line with those of the Police, the analysis was made in relation to what has been declared throughout Europe and compared with the population of each country to find an average number of thefts per 100,000 people.
The first country in vehicle thefts is Italy with 455 reports of thefts per day and 276 thefts on average per 100,000 inhabitants. They are followed by the Czech Republic, Sweden and France. In fifth place is Greece with 255 thefts per 100,000 people each year.
Prevention measures
The Police recommends the following measures to prevent vehicle thefts:
► Do not leave cars running and never leave the keys in the ignition or in the car.
► Make sure that the vehicle doors are locked and fully raise the windows.
► Do not leave their car keys exposed in prominent places.
► Ensure the safekeeping of their car keys, especially when they are in crowded areas such as shops, restaurants, etc., where there is an increased likelihood of becoming the object of theft.
► Always park their car in places where there is enough street lighting.
► Finally, it is recommended to install an anti-theft alarm system in the car.
