Car thefts jump - But insurance companies’ data suggest police numbers are 49% lower than reality

Despite ongoing states of emergency in six parishes, car thefts have climbed by 32 per cent, raising concerns among insurers that have to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars yearly in compensation.

But those statistics are startlingly lower than the data collected by members of the umbrella group, the Insurance Association of Jamaica (IAJ), which show that 251 more vehicles have been stolen than have been published by the police.

For the period ending October 26, the Jamaica Constabulary Force reported that 512 motor vehicles, including cars, trucks, buses and bikes, were stolen, compared to 385 for the corresponding period in the previous year.

The IAJ has, however, reported that as at September 30, it had recorded 763 motor vehicle thefts compared with 630 over the corresponding period in 2018.

The upshot is that insurers have recorded 49 per cent more vehicles stolen this year than the police force has issued in its monthly bulletins. Analysis over the past four years has revealed a disparity of more than 900 stolen vehicles between the IAJ and police data.

IAJ President Peter Levy told The Gleaner in an interview yesterday that the spike in vehicle theft continues to be a problem.

“It is a concern. It is something that costs us money and results in having to charge higher premiums to our customers to protect against that risk. So anytime that number goes up, it’s bad for us, and it’s bad for the customers,” he said.

CAR THEFT RINGS

Levy said that clampdowns on organised crime have yielded results in the past.

“From time to time, there have been increases. One of the things we found is that sometimes they have these organised car theft rings, and when the police are able to take down one these rings, we see the numbers go down.

“So, we have certainly seen situations in the past where you see reports in the paper that the police have busted a car-theft ring. You see what happens is that most of the times the theft is for parts. So they steal a car and we say they chop it up for parts. So they take it to some remote location and kind of dismantle it,” he said.

While not quoting specific figures, John P. Azar, managing director at KingAlarm, a security firm that provides armed guards, vehicle surveillance and other protective services, said that his organisation had recorded an increase in sales of motor vehicle-tracking devices, presumably because of growing alarm over the incidents of car theft.

“In my experience, it certainly appears that the incidence of car theft is on the increase. I think that that’s a reasonable statement, and I think because of that, and concern around that, more and more persons are looking to protect their vehicles not only with the more conventional alarm systems, but more so with tracking devices that, in the event of theft, can allow for the vehicle to shut down, can allow for the location of the vehicle to be identified,” he said.

When The Gleaner reached Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey, who oversees crime, he said he was not aware of the latest statistics and would have to conduct some research before providing a comment.

According to a report in THE WEEKEND STAR of July 5, 2019, the Toyota Axio is the number one vehicle being targeted by criminals, the police have said.

“These are stolen because they can be easily resold and sometimes they are also stolen for parts,” said Delroy Brown, detective sergeant attached to the motor vehicle unit at Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime arm of the police force.

Brown said that the Nissan Tiida, AD Wagon and Honda Civic are also among the main targets of car thieves.

nickoy.wilson@gleanerjm.com