‘Tis the season for car theft too
The Toyota Vios may not be the hottest car in the land but it sure is a hot item – especially to car thieves. The Toyota Vios is easy to sell as a whole car or for parts. Taxi companies with hundreds, if not thousands of Vios units can use replacement parts from chop-chopped units sold way cheaper than casa prices. That’s why the Toyota Vios tops the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group statistics for stolen car brands, which accounts for 16.3 percent of total stolen vehicles in 2010, or roughly 63 units.
There’s too many Toyota Vioses lying around to be stolen or “serviced.” And no thanks to the nautical highway connecting the country’s three major clusters – car thieves can easily commandeer vehicles from Manila and bring them to Visayas or Mindanao for resale. While most car theft syndicates operate in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao are areas where stolen cars are brought to be sold.
Cars they love to steal
According to Superintendent Edwin Butacan, press information officer of the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group, there are at least six car brands in the list of most sought-after cars by car thieves. Next to Vios are Mitsubishi L300 with 47 units stolen (12 percent), Honda Civic 35 units (8.9 percent), Nissan Urvan with 30 units (7.6 percent), Isuzu Crosswind 24 units (6.4 percent), and Hyundai Starex 17 units (4.3 percent).
Note that except for Honda Civic and Hyundai Starex, utility vans also top the list as these can be broken down for parts to be resold to Urvan and Starex owners in other parts of the country. Many of these vans are also resold and converted into public utility vehicles. It’s really inaccurate to say only flashy and luxury cars are hot items.
“Besides, stealing luxury cars makes it only more obvious and easy to track,” said Butacan, “that’s why carnapping syndicates usually stick to the most common cars. These cars are easiest to dispose”.
Motorcycle theft also on the rise
For 2010, car theft has been down to 918 reported and verified cases from 2009 figures of 1,225. The National Capital Region still accounts for the highest number of incidents at 646, followed by Southern Tagalog with 110 cases and North Central Luzon with 84 cases.
On the rise as well is motorcycle theft. Motorcycles have gained popularity in recent years, and accounts for 393 of the total number of stolen vehicles in 2010.
As the National Capital Region is the country’s car theft capital, Quezon City (173) remains on the top of the list of cities where car theft is most rampant, followed by Manila (136), Makati (61) and Marinika (50).
“Quezon City is a large area with so many so called exit points used as escape routes by syndicates involved in carnapping,” Butacan said.
Stolen while parked versus stolen at gun point
There are usually two ways you can lose your car from thieves: Stolen While Parked; and Stolen at Gunpoint. Of the 918 cases reported for 2010, 89.9 percent have been Stolen While Parked, while only over 10 percent were Stolen at Gunpoint.
In the last decade car theft figures surged in 2003 with 2,730 cases reported, although the PNP-HPG notes the trends have declined in the last 7 years. The challenge for the PNP-HPG is to properly validate reported cases first, by defining what constitutes car theft.
The law states that “Carnapping” is the taking, with the intent to gain, of a motor vehicle belonging to another without the latter’s consent, or by means of violence or intimidation of persons, or by using force upon things”.
“Feigned carnapping for insurance claim purposes or non-payment of monthly mortgage amortization, the failure to return borrowed vehicles, vehicles involved in conflicts over conjugal properties, and other schemes such as vehicles used as payment for casino or gambling loss or financial obligations are not part of the figures,” Butacan said.
Drive and park safely
To stomp car theft, the PNP-HPG recommends 24/7 territorial patrolling, tandems with the PNP and DILG in mobile patrol activities in major roads and highways, and the guarding of sea ports where many stolen vehicles pass through.
Car theft is also expected to be a bit rampant during this busy season as many people head for busy shopping areas where safe parking could be a problem. Butacan advises the driving public to:
- Park only in safe or reputable areas and parking establishments;
- When parking in malls, make sure you do not leave the parking ticket in the car;
- Steering wheel locks, although not a deterrent to car theft gives car thieves a harder time;
- When parking in public areas, scan the surroundings first for suspicious people;
- Never leave valuables inside the vehicle. Laptops, cellphones and gadgets carelessly left inside the car are temptations;
- In case of car theft, call police hotline 117 and report the incident immediately.
Have a safe drive everyone, may you and your car stay in one piece.*
