Roaming gangs behind third annual increase in car break-ins, insurers say
The number of car break-ins in the Netherlands has increased for the third year in a row, AD reports based on police figures it analyzed. Insurers blame the increase on roaming gangs that resell their loot throughout Europe, often to damage companies.
In the first nine months of this year, there were 32,000 cases of thieves stealing items out of cars or parts from cars. That is an increase of over 1,000 compared to the same period last year. And the “high season” has only just begun. Last year, there were a quarter more car break-ins in October and November than the average for the rest of the year.
According to Rob Smitskamp of the Vehicle Crime Insurance Agency Foundation, many thieves are sent out with a “shopping list” of what to steal. “Domestic repair companies in the Netherlands and abroad that cannot obtain a part through official channels, for example, because there is no stock or because they find the part too expensive, then order the part on the black market. And then they get a Chinese counterfeit product or a stolen part.”
According to AD, the police figures show that thieves are focusing more on the big cities. Ten years ago, more than half of reports of car break-ins came from medium-sized cities or the countryside. Now over half of reports come from big cities. One in six car break-ins happened in Amsterdam this year, compared to one in seven last year. Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Eindhoven also saw significant increases.
According to Smitskamp, it's easier for thieves in the big cities where cars often cannot be parked indoors.
Bovag, the trade association for damage repair companies, stressed that its members do not purchase stolen parts. “They absolutely do not recognize themselves in that image. And anyone who does will be thrown out,” a spokesperson told AD.
