Almost half of all numberplates stolen in Victoria are from cars parked on residential streets with Dandenong, Preston, Reservoir, St Albans and Craigieburn hardest hit.
New Crime Statistics Agency data shows of the 32,614 numberplate theft offences in the year to March 14,431 were taken from cars parked on residential streets.
Dandenong was the most impacted suburb for street numberplate theft with 310 offences, followed by Preston (213), Reservoir (197), St Albans (170) and Craigieburn (170).
Police are working tirelessly to crack down on the crime and make arrests, carrying out proactive patrols in local hotspots.
The local hotspots where police see the crime most occur include:
- Windale street, Langhorne street, Bennet street and David street in Dandenong
- Bell street, Patterson street, High street, Gower street and David street in Preston
- North road, Barry street and Rathcown road in Reservoir
- Main Road, Thorndon drive and William street in St Albans
- Yellowbox drive and Lawn court in Craigieburn
Police know numberplates are the most common item to be stolen from cars and is often at the centre of more serious offending.
Police regularly see offenders use stolen numberplates to hide the identity of a vehicle when committing other crimes such as burglaries, ram raids, petrol drive offs and to evade police.
To avoid falling victim to numberplate theft, police are urging the community to park their vehicle off the street and in a garage if possible.
Owners can fit anti-theft screws to their numberplates on their vehicles which can be purchased from hardware stores, automotive parts stores and petrol stations.
The screws are an easy way to deter thieves as they are extremely difficult to remove. Even if an offender manages to get them off it often damages the numberplate and renders it unusable.
It's important for the community to always ensure their vehicle is locked, even when at home.
Police are regularly seizing stolen numberplates, particularly during operations using Automatic Numberplate Recognition Technology.
ANPR technology allows police to rapidly scan vehicles and immediately identify any cars bearing false or stolen numberplates.
Police also run Safe Plate Day events across the state where the community can attend and receive a free anti-theft screw fitted to their vehicle.
Upcoming Safe Plate Day events can be found by visiting Safe Plate events - Neighbourhood Watch Victoria or by following your local police Eyewatch Facebook page.
Anyone who has been the victim of a number plate theft is urged to contact the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.
Quotes attributable to North West Metro Region Commander Jacki Kline:
"Police are seeing far too many offenders steal numberplates to help them fly under the radar and commit further offending.
"We know thieves are mainly stealing the plates from cars parked on residential streets - with Dandenong, Preston, Reservoir, St Albans and Craigieburn the most impacted suburbs.
"Police are working hard to make arrests for the crime - but we also implore the community to take preventative steps to help protect their plates.
"Parking in a secure area such a garage would be ideal scenario, however, we understand that not every resident or visitor to the area is able to do so.
"That's why we encourage vehicle owners to use anti-theft screws to deter thieves in the first instance.
"Installing a simple measure such as an anti-theft screw can be the difference between having your numberplate stolen or not.
"Offenders thinking of using stolen numberplates to hide their vehicle should think again. Police have more capabilities than ever to detect stolen numberplates on our roads - so they will be caught."
