Figures on car thefts presented by Justice Minister Egbert Doran at Wednesday’s weekly press briefing (see related story) are indeed alarming, especially as they came from just one insurance company. The 2019 number is also considerably higher than in the two previous years, indicating a disturbing trend.
The minister is talking to stakeholders about this and believes it is too easy to reregister a stolen vehicle. Once that is the case whoever did so becomes the legal owner, making the issue complicated.
There are a few safeguards such as requiring a bill of sale. However, these don’t appear to be very effective in practice.
One sure way to tell something might be wrong is if the vehicle identification number (VIN) has been tampered with. This can be confirmed by police in case there is a suspicion, which happened on several occasions last year with some success in terms of detecting stolen cars and motorbikes.
Ideally, up-to-date digital Information on all officially registered vehicles, including VINs, should be readily available to law enforcement authorities, if possible while on patrol. This would also give them another tool to control the payment of road tax, in addition to the licence plates and relevant documents.
While the Vehicle Inspection Department could conceivably play a bigger role in fighting car theft, it probably needs additional resources to do so. Perhaps direct beneficiaries such as car rentals and insurance companies want to help make this a reality.
For now, when it comes to the risk of buying stolen property with all possible consequences, stick to the golden rule: If a deal sems too good to be true, it probably is.
