The biggest decrease in motor vehicle theft in Australia during the pandemic was in motorcycles.
While national vehicle theft was down 7% in the 12 months to the end of September – the lowest since 2017 — the largest reduction was in motorcycles.
Bike thefts were down 11% to 8667 which was only 1% up on four years ago, say the official National Motor Vehicle Theft Council figures.
This is due to the COVID lockdown and riders being unable to ride their bikes, so they have been locked away in garages.
However, the council warns that the trend may now be reversing as states open up after COVID restrictions since September.
The council is warning all motorists to keep their vehicles locked and secured as well as their keys, as most vehicle theft is as a result of homes being broken into and keys stolen.
The Council also points out that there is a correlation between the performance of the economy and crime.
They tip that with the recession caused by the pandemic it is “almost certain the current uplift in vehicle crime will extend into 2021 at a minimum”.
Motorcycle thefts had been trending up with a 10.% increase to 9672 in the 2019 calendar year. In fact, that was the biggest increase of any category of vehicle.