Police data reveals luxury car thefts on the rise amid youth crime crisis

Alarming new data has revealed thefts of some luxury vehicles are on the rise around Melbourne. How safe is your car?

A boom in thefts of prestige German-made vehicles during Victoria’s wave of aggravated burglaries has been exposed by new police figures.

Mercedes-Benzes, BMWs, Volkswagens and Audis make up four of the top eight spots statewide for cars stolen in that crime category, despite none making the first eight for sales in Australia.

Those vehicles – the prime targets for youth offenders roaming Melbourne’s suburbs – all recorded big percentage increases with more than half stolen after intruders got into houses through unlocked doors or windows.

Despite police arresting 380 offenders for vehicle-motivated aggravated burglary statewide, the rate continues to surge.

Volkswagens Golf are among some of the most stolen vehicles. Picture: Bill Hearne

The total number of Mercedes-Benzes taken in aggravated burglaries was 165, just five short of the total for Toyota, which came in first.

This was despite Mercs only comprising a fraction of the overall number of Toyotas out on the road.

Theft of Mercedes-Benzes was up 47 per cent in the year to February.

Third on the list was BMW on 163, a 226 per cent increase on the previous 12 months.

Volkswagen was the fifth on the list at 110, a percentage increase of 57 while the Audi theft total was 84, up 39 per cent.

Other makes in the top eight were Mazda, Holden and Ford.

There were huge increases in two other vehicle categories.

The number of Porsches stolen in aggravated burglaries rose to 28 from 12 and Jeeps were up 19 to 28.

Luxury vehicles similar to BMWs are regularly targetted by thieves, according to Victoria Police.

Police arrested 380 people statewide for aggravated burglary-linked car theft, most of them young.

Those aged 10 to 17 made up 48 per cent and 22 per cent were thieves aged 18 to 24.

Up to 60 per cent of the cars stolen in some areas were taken by groups of youths who snuck into houses via unlocked doors, before grabbing keys and taking off while the owners slept.

There is no confrontation in 95 per cent of cases, police say.

The Herald Sun this month revealed aggravated burglaries in a cluster of affluent eastern suburbs had doubled in the past five years.

Officers attached to Operation Bird, which has been running in Melbourne’s southern police region where 10 designated police units patrol for offenders each night, showed 295 people were arrested and 231 charged with aggravated burglary.

Thefts of Mercedes is up 47 per cent in the past year.

Of the 395 vehicles stolen from September to March in Bird’s figures, 353 were recovered later.

The comparative figure for Operation Fortress, which has been running in the Boroondara, Manningham, Monash and Whitehorse council areas, was 164 cars stolen and 138 recovered.

Fortress made 135 arrests and laid 271 charges from September to March.

The statewide car theft figure from aggravated burglaries was 746, 645 of which were recovered.

Among the highest rates of thieves entering via unlocked doors or windows were Casey (65 per cent), Cardinia (60 per cent) and Dandenong (55 per cent).

Big numbers were also recorded in Port Phillip (60 per cent) and Stonnington (54 per cent).

The number for the municipalities covered by Fortress was 58 per cent.