Sunshine Coast car theft hot spots revealed

A Sunshine Coast couple’s car was stolen and ditched almost 150km from their home, leaving them with an insurance headache – and they’re not alone. See the suburb breakdown.

Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield said during a press conference on August 17, there had been a 111 per cent increase in stolen cars detected on the Sunshine Coast in three months.

A Marcoola couple whose car was allegedly stolen by a group of “little b-----ds” and ditched after a hit and run nearly 150km from their home have joined the growing list of people affected by car thieves on the Sunshine Coast.

Car thefts are on the rise across the region with the most recent events being on Thursday morning when eight vehicles were stolen within three hours.

Emergency services were called to reports of a car in Stumers Creek on August 3.

Marcoola man Steve Ozoux, 46, and his wife’s Nissan X-Trail was pinched from their driveway in early July.

The car was found, albeit written off, in Ipswich after having been involved in a hit and run, Mr Ozoux said.

Thankfully the other person involved in the crash was ok, but in a cruel twist the couple was left with unpaid tolls from the car thieves and an insurance headache.

A Nissan X Trail (similar to the one pictured) was stolen from Steve Ozoux’s driveway in July. Picture: File

Police data reveals the suburbs being hit most by thieves.

Between August 7, 2022 and August 8, 2023 the suburb with the most reported offences was Maroochydore, the data states, with 59 in 12 months.

Mooloolaba and Buderim were tied for the suburb with the second most offences with 34.

Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield said during a press conference on August 17, that there had been a 111 per cent increase in stolen cars detected on the Sunshine Coast in three months.

The “vast majority” of these vehicles came from other areas including north Brisbane, Ipswich, the Gold Coast and Hervey Bay, he said.

The thieves were targeting “luxury” cars and often hitting affluent areas, Sergeant Mansfield said, and preyed on residents with unsecured vehicles or homes.

“They want the Audis and they want the Mercedes and they want the Range Rovers, they want top vehicles,” he said.

“They’re (then) using (the stolen cars) to commit other crimes, they’re joy-riding, they’re doing all sorts of different things with them.”

Sunshine Coast Crime Prevention Unit Senior Constable Rebecca McMeniman said locking your car and securing it in a garage or well-lit, highly visible area was crucial to avoid being hit by thieves.

Sunshine Coast CIB Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield. Photo: Elizabeth Neil

“If you are parked in the driveway to leave your home and have forgotten something inside the house, do not leave the engine running whilst you go inside even if it’s for 20 seconds,” she said.

“Lock your house even if you are inside the premise. If you outside the back of the house and the front door is unlocked this could be an opportunity for a person to enter without your knowledge,” she said.

She encouraged residents with CCTV to register their cameras with Queensland Police.

“Knowing the location of an established CCTV system allows police to save time door knocking to locate CCTV in the vicinity of a serious crime,” she said.

Information provided is only used by police on their system, and is called our Community Camera Alliance program.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast car theft hot spots revealed