The dossier, published by Fanpage.it, shows a trend of thefts for 2021 increasing compared to 2020. In fact 104.372 more cars were stolenThe regions where most car thefts occur are the Campania, Lazio, Puglia, Sicily and LombardyThe increase in vehicle thefts is overall for all types: cars, motorcycles and heavy vehicles.
Article Key Points
The data of the “Vehicle Theft Dossier“, elaborated by LoJack Italy, a CalAmp Group company leader in telematics solutions for the automotive industry and in the recovery of stolen vehicles, reveal that one theft in four occurs in Campania, In Lazio, thieves are more likely to cover their tracks of stolen vehicles. The dossier collected and analyzed the information provided by the Ministry of the Interior on 2021, integrating it with that coming from national and international elaborations and reports on the phenomenon.
After the lockdown in 2021, car thefts increased again
In 2020, car thefts had decreased significantly, probably due to the strong limitation of vehicle circulation for the lockdown, while the following year, 2021, the data started to grow again, although not significantly: there were 102.708 cases in 2020 compared to 104.372 in 2021.
The increase in thefts mainly concerned the cars/SUVs and motorcycles/scootersr, less thefts instead for heavy vehicles and vans. The criminal organizations that deal with vehicle thefts have started to focus again strongly on this business.
Furthermore, the data regarding the difficulty in recovering stolen vehicles is alarming; the percentage of recoveries in 2021 dropped to 37%, meaning that almost two out of three stolen vehicles are no longer known.
Most Stolen Cars: The Fiat Panda Is the Most “Requested”.
Compared to 2020, the “ranking” of the most stolen cars sees the Fiat Panda with 8.816 theft (out of 10 stolen cars 1 is a Panda), then there is the Fiat 500 (6.743 stolen models), the Fiat Punto (5.292) and the Lancia Ypsilon (2.979).
The Smart ForTwo Coupè (1.389) has overtaken the Volkswagen Golf (1.381), while completing the ranking of the most stolen cars are the Renault Clio (1.284), the Fiesta (1.059), the Opel CORSA (824) and finally the Fiat Uno (559).
The regions with the most car thefts
The increase in car thefts affects almost all regions where the phenomenon records significant data and dimensions. In Campania the phenomenon marks a significant increase (+7%), consolidating the negative record of being the area with the highest risk of theft with almost 27.500 victims in a year: every day 75 vehicles are stolen. Horrifying.
Il Lazio Campania follows with 18.215 vehicles stolen in 2021, but this region also reaches another negative record: only 30% (vs. 37% nationally) of stolen vehicles are returned to their rightful owner.
The other regions where there is a higher risk of vehicle theft are Puglia (14.498 thefts), Sicily (13.180) and Lombardy (11.636). Lombardy itself, even though it is fifth in the ranking of car thefts, for SUVs it occupies the top positions.
What happens to stolen cars?
This question is difficult to answer because it is not easy to "trace" the routes taken by stolen vehicles; some are dismantled for spare parts, others are instead routed towards foreign markets (especially Eastern Europe or North Africa).
Article published on 26 July 2022 - 12:48
