Thefts from Victorian motor vehicles soar by 23 per cent in one year

The number of car thefts in Victoria is surging and cunning thieves are using this sly tactic to bust their way in without a key.

A soaring number of victims are having their cars smashed and broken into with thieves deploying a sneaky tactic to unlock cars without a set of keys.

Theft from motor vehicles has spiked more than 23 per cent after more than 58,000 offences were detected over the past 12 months.

That number has increased more than 40 per cent since 2021 to become the second highest amount in a decade.

Attempted thefts from vehicles also jumped more than 38 per cent with more than 9800 offences detected, reaching a 10-year high.

Crooks have, over the past year, increasingly deployed their cunning method to break into homes without a set of keys.

The hack — which the Herald Sun has chosen not to detail — involves a piece of technology bought online used to bypass the vehicle’s security system.

Thefts from cars has hit a 10-year high in Victoria.

Wallets, cash, laptops, mobile phones, clothes and jewellery continue to be targeted most by dodgy thieves and most thefts occur on unlocked vehicles parked in a driveway or street.

Those figures are likely to be much higher with many victims not bothering to report the crimes to police.

Under-resourced police and detectives already have a plethora of other active investigations on the go — with many more consequential than a theft from a parked car.

But for victim Jordan Belli, repeated attempted thefts from his cars has him on edge.

His Lysterfield South home’s CCTV system has caught several different offenders trying their luck on his Holden and Toyota HiLux parked in his driveway.

Wallets are the most sought-after item.

Car owners say they are ‘losing sleep’ in fear of thieves stealing their pride and joy.

On one occasion, two masked offenders ransacked the Holden’s front seats and boot, stealing clothes, sleeping bags and the vehicle’s service books, likely used for rebirthing.

Mr Belli said he believes the same man, once armed with a machete, returned days later armed with a meat cleaver.

“I did a bunch of investigating on social media and found exactly who it was and passed it all to the police but nothing came of it unfortunately,” he told the Herald Sun.

“I have a feeling that they have told others that we have cars parked outside with easy access, especially when we had the VFs in the driveway, considering how hot they’ve become.

“I often see people in our estate driving through each court around duck with a phone filming houses so I have a suspicion they’re keeping tally of what is parked where.”

Mr Belli said the repeated attempts by crooks on his cars and home is unnerving.

Theft from motor vehicles has spiked more than 23 per cent in a year. Picture: Supplied

“It’d ridiculously frustrating and nerve-racking. They always seem to come armed at a similar time to when my dad is leaving for work so it feels like we always have to be on high alert,” he added.

“We lose sleep waiting for them to strike again, and it is extremely frustrating that the police are stretched so thin that when we’ve called them while someone was in our driveway with a machete, it took them four hours to respond.”

Tips for keeping your car safe

• Lock your car and store in a garage if possible

• Keep valuables inside your home

• Keep car windows rolled up

• Don’t leave car keys, house keys or garage remotes in cars

• Install a kill switch that prevents third-party technology from starting cars

• Buy a Faraday box or pouch that creates an electromagnetic shield for your keys