Hyundais, Falcons, Lasers, Taragos are most at risk of theft
Hyundais, Falcons, Lasers, Taragos are most at risk of theft
February 28, 2008
Section: News
In a preventative strike, the Lake Illawarra Local Area Command (LAC) in conjunction with NRMA Insurance launched the Club Lock Scheme last week.
As part of the launch, the LAC and NRMA Insurance gave away club locks to drivers of the most commonly targeted vehicles.
Sergeant John Klepczarek of the Lake Illawarra LAC said owners of Hyundai Excels, pre-1996 model Commodores, Falcons, Lasers or Taragos were in the ‘most at risk’ category.
“Equipping such vehicles with a club lock provides a visual and physical deterrent,” Sgt Klepczarek said.
“They make the vehicle less appealing to car thieves.
“By doing so, it reduces the likelihood of the vehicle being stolen.”
The first fifty drivers to arrive received a club lock from the NRMA premises at Stockland Shellharbour.
The club locks were gone within a matter of a few hours.
Twenty-four year old Rebecca Thompson of Oak Flats arrived early to pick up a lock.
“I wanted to get a lock for my Nissan Pulsar,” Ms Thompson said.
“It’s my first car and it is important to me to maintain security,” she said.
“It’s good to have a lock if it works at detering anyone from stealing my car.”
Ms Thompson said she didn’t usually park in high risk areas.
“However, my car is outside on the street most of the time.”
The LAC announced this week a continued decrease in the number of stolen vehicle reports across the Lake Illawarra area, largely due to the undertaking of pro-active policing measures.
Sergeant Klepczarek said stolen car figures were at an all time low.
“Over the past three years, we have gone from 200 cars stolen per month down to 30 cars per month.”
Club locks are available at most department stores including Kmart, Repco, Supercheap Auto, Bunnings, Big W and Target and prices range from 30-$60.
The LAC also recommends drivers remove all valuables from vehicles to reduce the likelihood of the car being stolen or vandalised, including wallets, cash, mobile phones and lap tops. GPS systems are also commonly targeted.