Government inaction at the heart of Victorian crime wave

November 17, 2016

Melbourne, 17 November – The Andrews Government needs to deal with Victoria’s escalating crime problem swiftly, says the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC).

Victoria’s incidence of crime has increased by 11 percent over the last 12 months,* with motor vehicle theft rising by 34 percent.** During the 2015/16 financial year, 18,041 vehicles were stolen in Victoria.**

“A very ugly side of the crime wave sweeping the state is violent car jackings and home invasions in order to steal vehicle keys, and then the vehicle itself. These vehicles are stolen to order and delivered to disreputable ‘businesses’ in exchange for cash payments,” said VACC Executive Director, Geoff Gwilym.

Legislating against cash payments for scrap vehicles and/or vehicle parts will make this type of crime less attractive.

“According to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, 347 vehicles are stolen every week in Victoria. Of those, 97 vehicles are never seen again. They literally disappear. That can only mean one thing: they are being shipped offshore. “These stolen vehicles are supplied to unlicensed recycling businesses. The vehicles are then either scrapped and the parts sold for cash or the complete vehicles are shipped to Malaysia and, from there, on to the Middle East,” said Mr Gwilym.

Violent crimes concentrated around vehicle theft are now commonplace in Victoria and it is about time the Andrews Government did something about it.

“On behalf of the people of Victoria, VACC requests that the State Government quickly legislates against all cash payments for scrap vehicles and/or vehicle parts. This will make a swift and significant dent in Victoria’s crime problem,” said Mr Gwilym.

* Source: Crime Statistics Agency

** Source: National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council