The shortage of spare parts for cars, due to the coronavirus pandemic, has caused a significant increase of 43% in car thefts this year, compared to 2020, and the trend is expected to continue in 2022. This is according to a study by Ituran on the subject of car thefts, published in Israel Hayom.
The study was conducted based on a national sample of 650,000 vehicles.
Jeeps and SUVs continued to top the list of stolen vehicles in 2021, accounting for 40% of all thefts. This is an increase of 8% compared to 2020.
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It also emerged that in 2021, car thieves focused on transporting stolen vehicles through breaches in the security fence. The vehicles were smuggled to the cities of Ramallah, Qalqilya, and Tulkarm, which are located near the center of the country and are used by thieves as cities of refuge for stolen vehicles.
The study also shows that the coronavirus caused a shortage of spare parts and therefore there was a significant increase in vehicle thefts.
In analyzing the areas preferred by thieves - Gush Dan continues to lead the theft chart in Israel with 34% of all theft incidents. Following Gush Dan are the Sharon region with 30%, the southern region with 12%, the Sheflera region with 8%, Jerusalem with 6%, the northern region with 7% and Judea and Samaria with 3%.
In 21% of the thefts, the thief was found to have the car key. In 32% of the total cases, the thief attempted to forcefully break into the car. In 29% of the cases, the thief attempted to connect to the computer socket. In 8% of the cases, an attempt was made to load or tow the car. In 3% of the cases, the car was robbed from its owner or the key was left in the car. While in 7% of the cases, it was not possible to determine how the car was stolen.
The vehicles with the highest incidence of attempted thefts in 2021 were again jeeps and jeepneys at 40 percent of the cases. Private vehicles at 26 percent of the cases, motorcycles at 21 percent, commercial vehicles at 8 percent, trucks at 3 percent and MME (engineering mechanical equipment) vehicles – 2%.
