More than 320 cars were stolen at Melton in the past financial year – a trend that’s worrying experts and police.
The National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council has found cars in the north-west are prime targets for thieves, with seven of the top 10 hotspots to be found in the city’s north and west.
About 120 of the cars stolen from Melton were never recovered.
Council’s executive director, Ray Carol, said one of the reasons for the area’s high rate of car thefts was its demographic.
“Cars are an integral part of antisocial behaviour, whether it’s to go and commit another crime, drug dealing or the boredom factor,” Mr Carol said. “Thieves are generally familiar to the area. The cars are very often recovered not that far from where they’re stolen – usually within a five-kilometre radius.”
The most common makes of cars stolen were Holden Commodores (45) followed by Nissan Pulsars (17).
Mr Carol said there was a lucrative black market for car parts, especially from Holden Commodores, as people looked for cheap parts after damaging their own cars during hoon- style behaviours.
“If you’re a 20-year-old who goes out hooning in your own car and causing damage you do want very cheap parts.”
Mr Carol said he didn’t believe there was an organised gang culture in the area, but, typically, young males liked to “associate” and compete with each other.
Children as young as 13 have been charged with criminal offences, including stealing cars, in Victoria, Mr Carol said. “They’re not organised; they’re very loose associations. There are mates and there are more mates, and there’s another group of mates, so it all becomes really fluid. It’s more about risk-taking – as far as they’re concerned, they’re invisible.”
Detective Acting Sergeant Paul Barrow, of the Melton Criminal Investigation Unit, urged people to park in well-lit areas, and he said police were patrolling the streets.
Some stolen cars were taken to be re-sold or ‘re-birthed’, while others were taken on joyrides.
