Victoria Police to launch blitz on car thieves
POLICE are set to launch a blitz on car thieves and have revealed a new tactic in their push to drive down car crime. It comes as vehicles stolen in Melbourne are showing up on the other side of the world.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
POLICE are set to launch a blitz on car thieves, revealing they’ve been gathering surveillance on gangs stealing vehicles for scrap metal.
Assistant Commissioner Bob Hill, in charge of driving down car crime in Victoria, said the police would be hitting scrap metal dealers hard in the coming months now that new laws allow them to raid premises without a warrant.
RELATED: VICTORIA LEADS NATION FOR CAR THEFTS
MORE VEHICLE THEFTS IN HUME THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN VIC
POLICE GPS TRACKERS PLAN PROGRESSING
Recent figures released by Crime Statistics Agency Victoria revealed car thefts were the lowest they had been for a decade.
But the police are now preparing to hit the illegal scrap metal trade in another blow for car thieves.
The new laws, which came into effect on May 30, impose penalties of more than $30,000 for buying or selling scrap metal for cash.
Anyone dealing in scrap metal, including vehicle recyclers and “cash for cars” scrap metal dealers, are legally obliged to register as a second-hand dealer by September 1.
“We have the power to enter and search, any time of day or night, any business or storage premises if we reasonably believe dealing in scrap metal is being conducted,” Mr Hill told the Sunday Herald Sun.
“We know that stolen cars are being disposed of across metropolitan Melbourne and in some rural locations.
“Those people and entities that are involved in that business will now be subject to significant scrutiny by Victoria Police.
“We will be going to pay a visit to these premises and disrupting this illegal market.
“This scrap metal trade has been largely unregulated and it’s been very attractive for criminals to make some quick cash.
“We are confident this disruption will reduce even further the number of vehicle thefts in the state.”
Thefts of motor cars had dropped from about 20,000 vehicles to about 15,000, a decrease of nearly 22 per cent over a 12-month period.
Mr Hill said car thieves used a range of methods to dispose of a stolen vehicle.
“There have been examples where the entire vehicle is shipped overseas,” he said.
“A high-end vehicle was recovered in Dubai with the Victoria registration plate still on it. That is unique and not a common occurrence.
“Cars are broken down in parts and shipped overseas. There are also cars dismantled and recycled through the repair industry.”
NSW introduced cash-for-scrap legislation in March 2017.
Police there have seen a 6 per cent reduction in profit-motivated theft of motor cars, with Victoria Police confident the new laws here will help with a similar drop in car thefts.
SURPRISE AS STOLEN CAR FOUND IN DUBAI
KRISTINA Dalgleish was asleep when her new $80,000 Mercedes was stolen from outside her house.
After reporting the matter to police last year, Ms Dalgleish, who was living in Glen Iris, was reimbursed by her insurance company and moved on with her life.
Months later she got a call to say her car, which still had its Victorian numberplates attached, had been found — 11,667km away in Dubai.
“I wasn’t expecting that. I don’t know how a car gets in a shipping container and out of the country when it still has its plates on,” Ms Dalgleish said.
After the 2016 Mercedes-Benz C200 coupe was found in Dubai, the Vehicle Crime Squad at Victoria Police arrested a man connected to the export of the stolen vehicle.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said a person involved in the vehicle industry contacted police and said that while he was travelling in Dubai he had spotted a Mercedes with Victorian numberplates attached, sitting in a wrecking yard of an industrial area.
“The Mercedes was subsequently recovered by UAE authorities in August 2017 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates,” they said.
Ms Dalgleish’s insurance company took ownership of the car.