Two cars are stolen every day in Hume, on average.
Latest data from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVRC) shows more cars were stolen in Hume than anywhere else in the state in the 2014-15 financial year.
Almost 770 cars were stolen in Hume in the 12 months to June 30.
Brimbank was a close second, with 672 cars stolen, Greater Geelong third (649), Whittlesea fourth (560) and Moreland fifth (558).
Police are particularly urging owners of Nissan Pulsars manufactured in 2000 to keep their cars in a garage or parked in a safe spot.
NMVRC’s figures reveal that this particular make and model was the most popular car targeted by thieves.
In Hume and Whittlesea alone, as many as 860 were stolen in 2014-15.
Holden Commodores, Nissan Patrols, Nissan Skylines, Toyota Corollas and Hyundai i20s were also popular vehicles of choice for thieves.
Hume experienced a 7.4 per cent increase in cars stolen in 2014-15 compared with the previous 12 months. In Whittlesea, the statistic dropped by almost six per cent, from 594 stolen cars in 2013-14 to 560 in 2014-15.
Three out of every four cars stolen in Hume and Whittlesea are later dumped, and the cars recovered.
The rest are stolen for profit.
Hume police’s Acting Inspector Shane Kerley said most cars were stolen for the daredevilry of it or to gain an alternative, albeit risky, form of transport.
“More or less for the thrill [of it] or to get transport to another location,” he said. “I don’t think boredom is one of the reasons; sometimes it’s just convenience.”
The Hume Criminal Investigation Unit has a specialist vehicle crime reduction unit at Broadmeadows, a team dedicated to tackling car and number plate thefts, and thefts of personal belongings from cars.
Crime Statistics Agency data shows more than 80 per cent of offenders who stole a car last year were male (83 per cent) and more than half were between the ages of 15 and 24, with most of those aged 15 to 19.
