Motor vehicle theft statistics.

Background

CARS has been fully funded by the NMVTRC since September 1999. The NMVTRC’s significant investment provides a single, nationally consistent data source that enables easy and meaningful comparison across more than 40 data providers.

CARS is based in the South Australian Attorney General's Department and started as an initiative of the South Australian Vehicle Theft Reduction Committee. They recognised that timely, detailed and accurate information from a wide cross section of sources was needed by government and industry stakeholders to develop effective theft reduction strategies. Based on its South Australian success, CARS was contracted in 1999 by the NMVTRC to expand nationally.

CARS utilises modern data warehouse technology to produce nationally consistent data classification across all data sources. The result allows easy and meaningful comparison between stolen vehicle data, the registered fleet and insured vehicles.

CARS provides the evidence base that helps drive the NMVTRC's vehicle theft reforms and provides its services to all Australian stakeholders with an interest in vehicle crime.

Awards

In 2004, CARS won the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (Australasian Branch) award for "Outstanding Contribution to the Reduction/ Prevention of Motor Vehicle Theft in Australasia".

In 2009, CARS was awarded a Certificate of Merit in the Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards. The awards reward good practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crimes in Australia.

Release of CARS data