Fewer cars stolen in first half of 2020

Fewer cars were stolen in the Netherlands in the first half of this year than in the same period last year, according to figures from the national vehicle crime information center LIV. Most cars were stolen in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, AD reports.

A total of 11,400 vehicles were stolen over the past six months, 3 percent less than in the first half of 2020.

Only eleven Dutch municipalities did not have a single car theft in the first half of this year. After the three large cities, car thefts were also relatively common in Diemen near Amsterdam and Rijswijk near The Hague.

Many of the stolen vehicles were later recovered. In 60 percent of cases, this happened within a week. 

Motorcycles are more often gone for good than cars. Almost 40 percent of stolen passenger cars were eventually returned to their owner, compared to 20 percent of motorcycles.