NCJ Number
78968
Date Published
1977
Length
25 pages
Annotation
Characteristics of West German vehicle thefts, circumstances under which such thefts occur, and approaches to vehicle theft control and prevention are described.
Abstract
The goal of the study is to examine vehicle theft as an individual offense, in this way contributing to the effectiveness of criminology in dealing with the specific offense. In 1975 almost every third theft in West Germany involved a vehicle of some kind. The rise in the theft of motor bikes and bikes from the previous year approached 70 percent, while automobile thefts dropped somewhat (28.4 percent). Thefts tend to occur most frequently in the areas where particular vehicles are concentrated: near schools for bicycles, near discotheques and juvenile centers for motor bikes, and inner city parking areas and vacation spots for automobiles. Thefts from and of automobiles are most prevalent during vacation months and at the end of work weeks. Efforts to gather data should be made at 3-to-5-year intervals to save the expense of annual surveys and to determine long-term trends. While all kinds of vehicle thefts are most commonly committed by males, the proportion of female vehicle offenders has risen to almost 20 percent. Age statistics show that bike thefts are most commonly committed by children, motor bike thefts by juveniles, and automobiles are stolen by young adults, most frequently 17-year-olds. Juveniles appear to follow the same materialistic goals as their parents in stealing. Juveniles without organized activities for their leisure time run a greater risk of becoming involved in criminal activities than those who join sports teams or organized clubs. Offenses such as bicycle and car thefts may also be committed by organized criminals, who have characteristics different from those of the occasional juvenile offender. Control of vehicle thefts requires cooperative efforts of the investigative police and police patrols. Schools should be encouraged to keep track of the presence or absence of students. Repressive measures for specific crimes should also be improved. Planned prevention requires a great deal of reliable information at the disposal of the police. Several notes are supplied.