About 34 cars are stolen in the outer northern suburbs each week, new data from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council reveals.
The council named Whittlesea and Hume as car theft hot-spots, with statistics revealing 765 cars were stolen from Whittlesea in 2015-16.
In Hume, there were 1026 car thefts.
The car theft rate in both municipalities jumped by more than 30 per cent from 2014 to 2015. The data revealed Hume as the top municipality for car thefts, while Whittlesea was fifth.
The council found that in 2015-16, car thefts in the outer northern suburbs most frequently occurred in Craigieburn (255), Epping (188), Campbellfield (166) and Bundoora (140).
Most cars stolen in Hume and Whittlesea are short-term thefts of vehicles which are later dumped. The rest are stolen for profit.
Nissan Pulsars built between 1995-2000 were the most commonly stolen car in both municipalities, followed by Holden Commodores built between 2006-13.
The data has prompted police to warn drivers of Pulsars to do more to keep their cars safe.
In Whittlesea, 48 Pulsars were stolen, while 40 were taken in Hume.
Victoria Police north-west metropolitan region crime prevention officer Craig McDonald said older cars, such as Pulsars, were easy targets for thieves because they lack immobilizers.
He urged owners to fit their cars with club locks or electronic immobilizers.
“The door locking mechanisms on these cars are poor- there is no alarm and [thieves] know exactly how to steal them,” he said.
“If you know you might be a target, get a club lock, at least for peace of mind.”
Leading Senior Constable McDonald said it was important that people remembered to lock their cars.
