Profit motivated theft refers to vehicles stolen to be converted into cash through illegal transactions. In a 2016 study by the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC), profit motivated vehicle theft increased by 2% in 2015/16.
Of the larger states in Australia, Victoria and Queensland both had major increases in profit motivated vehicle theft with 27% and 16% respectively. See figure 2 below.
Over the five-year period, New South Wales had a major fall in thefts, down by 43%. Vehicles aged 16 years and older accounted for two-thirds of the reduction. South Australia also had a large reduction, down by 35%. Profit motivated theft remains stable in the NT, ACT and Tasmania. See figure 3 below.
Unlike short-term thefts, wherein smaller cars make up most of the theft numbers, large vehicles remain the most popular target for profit motivated vehicle theft. The popular makes and models of vehicles stolen in the 2015/16 year were:
- the Toyota Hilux (MY06-13) with 190 thefts;
- the Holden Commodore VE (MY06-13) with 190 thefts; and
- the Holden Commodore VT (MY97-00) with 185 stolen not recovered.