Before FIR, learn car safety lesson

Next time your car gets stolen, before filing the FIR, the police personnel will give you a few lessons on how to keep your car safe.

Next time your car gets stolen, before filing the FIR, the police personnel will give you a few lessons on how to keep your car safe. As part of a unique initiative, the Delhi Police have started displaying different safety devices for your car at each police station’s reception. Each person who comes with a car theft complaint is asked to buy locks to make his car secure.

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Vehicle theft is one of the commonest crimes in Delhi with nearly 40 vehicles being stolen daily. “With such a high theft rate we need to think differently. Our appeal to car owners is to put proper locks on their car. Often we find that owner doesn’t lock his car properly after parking it. And most of the car theft cases were reported from unauthorised parking spots,” a senior police officer said.

“We have displayed cable lock, gear lock and wheel lock at the police stations and even given its price. If one is buying a car of Rs 3 lakh he should spend some money on its safety, too,” the officer added.

“If you have a gear and steering lock, the thief cannot take your car even if he manages to open it. Preventive measures can help reduce car theft cases,” the officer said. Vehicle thefts constitute about 15% of all the crimes committed in Delhi.

“The biggest reasons for these thefts were non-availability of parking places,” the officer added. “Most vehicles cannot be traced as they are sold in far off north-eastern states and even in Nepal from where it is impossible to get them back,” said the officer.

In the past one-and-a-half years the recovery rate by Delhi police of stolen vehicle is only 14%. In 2010, the recovery rate was 12% which has jumped to 20% this year.