Pepper
12-29-2004, 11:10 AM
THE MOST popular car with thieves remains the humble Vauxhall Belmont, it was revealed today.
The Belmont may have been rated 38 in a recent list of "crap cars" but 1,978 were taken last year - or 99 out of every 1,000 registered.
Vauxhall also took the second and third slots in the most-stolen list with the Astra Mark 2 and Nova.
But while owners of those models are more likely than most to be counting their losses, car thefts dropped to a 20-year low.
A total of 282,816 cars were taken last year, a 10.1% fall on 2002.
Home Office minister Hazel Blears said the fall was the result of a concerted effort by the Government, police and industry.
She said: "Motorists (both private and fleet buyers) have a key role to play and I hope they will take account of the results of these figures when making their purchasing decisions.
"I would urge all drivers to take simple precautions to prevent car crime, such as always locking doors even if the car is only left for a few minutes, and not leaving valuables on show."
The following are the 10 most stolen cars in 2003:
Vauxhall Belmont - 1,978 (99 per 1,000 registered)
Vauxhall Astra mk2 - 12,332 (95 per 1,000 registered)
Vauxhall Nova - 9,858 (65 per 1,000 registered)
Austin/Morris Metro - 3,499 (63 per 1,000 registered)
Ford Escort mk3 - 12,025 (60 per 1,000 registered)
Ford Orion - 6,858 (56 per 1,000 registered)
Austin/Morris Maestro - 894 (55 per 1,000 registered)
Rover Maestro - 887 (47 per 1,000 registered)
Rover Metro - 9,147 (47 per 1,000 registered)
Vauxhall Astra mk1 (pre 1989) - 2,247 (44 per 1,000 registered)
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004601703,00.html
The Belmont may have been rated 38 in a recent list of "crap cars" but 1,978 were taken last year - or 99 out of every 1,000 registered.
Vauxhall also took the second and third slots in the most-stolen list with the Astra Mark 2 and Nova.
But while owners of those models are more likely than most to be counting their losses, car thefts dropped to a 20-year low.
A total of 282,816 cars were taken last year, a 10.1% fall on 2002.
Home Office minister Hazel Blears said the fall was the result of a concerted effort by the Government, police and industry.
She said: "Motorists (both private and fleet buyers) have a key role to play and I hope they will take account of the results of these figures when making their purchasing decisions.
"I would urge all drivers to take simple precautions to prevent car crime, such as always locking doors even if the car is only left for a few minutes, and not leaving valuables on show."
The following are the 10 most stolen cars in 2003:
Vauxhall Belmont - 1,978 (99 per 1,000 registered)
Vauxhall Astra mk2 - 12,332 (95 per 1,000 registered)
Vauxhall Nova - 9,858 (65 per 1,000 registered)
Austin/Morris Metro - 3,499 (63 per 1,000 registered)
Ford Escort mk3 - 12,025 (60 per 1,000 registered)
Ford Orion - 6,858 (56 per 1,000 registered)
Austin/Morris Maestro - 894 (55 per 1,000 registered)
Rover Maestro - 887 (47 per 1,000 registered)
Rover Metro - 9,147 (47 per 1,000 registered)
Vauxhall Astra mk1 (pre 1989) - 2,247 (44 per 1,000 registered)
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004601703,00.html