Is the Clarence Valley experiencing a car torching spate or copping the usual?

Another car has been torched and stolen in Grafton as police reveal no one has been apprehended in the investigations into the theft and torching of a business woman’s car. So is the problem accelerating?

Police have declined to comment on whether or not there is a spate of cars being torched in Grafton but social media posts suggest there are a number of incidents occurring involving theft and the torching of vehicles.

As the police continue their investigations into the theft and torching of Grafton business owner Samara Kilner’s vehicle they reveal no one has been apprehended and another similar incident has occurred.

A stolen green Toyota Rav4 stolen was found alight at the Clarence Valley BMX Club.

The vehicle was stolen from McFarlane St, South Grafton sometime on the evening of April 16.

Witnesses reported four young males running from the scene.

A police spokesman is urging witnesses or people with CCTV footage to come forward.

Social media reactions

Responses on local Facebook groups suggest these incidents are not isolated.

Comments on the facebook post included Jess See's account of what happened to their car which unfortunately was damaged when Samara Kilner's car was alight.

The Daily Examiner Facebook post on April 18 on Samara Kilner’s vehicle being stolen and torched received the following comments:

Beck Loy commented that her friend had his car and two motorbikes stolen near South Grafton High on April 17 and they later found their car burnt out.

Michelle Smith posted this photo of her MG commenting “My car was destroyed this morning by a group of 15 year olds in a stolen car,

“Thankfully the police caught the culprits,” she wrote.

Michelle Smith posted her MG was destroyed by a stolen care in Grafton on April 18, 2022.

So what do the crime statistics show?

The available data based on the NSW Police Force from NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data shows that motor vehicle theft on the Clarence Valley has a stable trend over both a two year and five year period.

Statistics for torching of vehicles was not in the available data.

However the five year annual trend for arson is down by 12.6% suggesting that up to December 2021 the Clarence Valley had not been experiencing a spate of car torchings.

Data captured and analysed for 2022 will confirm any trends regarding motor vehicle theft in the Clarence.

In the meantime police ask anyone who may have information on any of the above incidents to contact Grafton Police on 6642 0222 or Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000.