The number of auto thefts nationwide has fallen to a record low. In North Rhine-Westphalia, thefts even fell at an above-average rate to just under 2,000 cars last year.
Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) - In North Rhine-Westphalia, almost 2,000 cars with a total value of 37.6 million euros were stolen last year. The number of thefts (1991) fell significantly by 18.9 percent compared to the previous year, as reported by the Association of the German Insurance Industry on Monday.
That was the second strongest decline nationwide: only in Saarland did the number of stolen cars fall even more (-27.6 percent). Nationwide, car theft fell by 8.3 percent to a record low and fell below 10,000 stolen cars for the first time.
In the mid-1990s, insurers were still registering around 100,000 thefts nationwide every year. Technical protective measures such as the immobilizer, better law enforcement and better border security would have made the thieves' work considerably more difficult.
Bucking the trend, car thefts increased in Bielefeld, Bochum, Düsseldorf and Essen. The risk of a car being stolen in the state capital is three times higher than the state average, followed by Cologne with twice the risk.
In Düsseldorf, the damage per car theft is the highest nationwide - with almost 28,800 euros per car theft. On average, insurers paid around 19,100 euros for each theft.
Car thieves primarily target expensive off-road vehicles (SUVs). Nine of the ten most stolen model series were SUVs. In a manufacturer comparison, Land Rovers were stolen most frequently. The GDV statistics only take into account theft of cars with comprehensive insurance.
