Cars and Robbers
Has Car Theft Crime Prevention Worked Too Well?
This paper looks at statistical analysis of reported crimes in South Africa. It looks at the trend of crimes in the present and at how they compare to those in the past. Most reported crime rates have reduced. The exception is recorded robbery (both aggravated and common). Until recently, this had continued to rise. The report suggests that improvements in vehicle security technology may be behind this trend. However, the authors do not suggest that this is the sole or even dominant reason for the rise in robbery, merely that the statistics suggest this.
Title: Cars and Robbers
Author: Anthony Altbecker
Number Of Pages: 20
Date Published: March 2006
Availability: Download Full Report 
326kb
The report is divided into 5 principal sections:
- The first looks at Property Crime Trends and at how overall crime has been reducing, but robbery has been rising
- The second section poses a challenge to the analysis. The authors suggest that some of the rise in robbery could be due to increased reporting and police recording levels rather than an increase in the the number of crimes committed
- The next section looks at the trends of Car Theft and Car Hijacking, it credits the decline in car crime to law changes which allows for more severe punishments and also due to improved Police work. It goes on to look at the effect of Lojack which has been implemented in the U.S Lojack has had a significant impact on car crime, this is shown in the graph below.
- The fourth section looks at the relationship between the fall of Car Theft and the rise of Robbery by analysing statistics
- The final section looks at what implications this could have on the public.
In the conclusion of the report looks at flaws in the statistics and comments on the positive and negative affects of improved car security. Overall the report is intended not to be a conclusive answer on the issue, it is just designed to stimulate conversation and thoughts on the present situation.
Getting a copy
Download Full Report 326kb
Last update: Tuesday, October 17, 2006