There is cause for alarm.
Despite the periods of containment and curfew that punctuated the year 2020, 121,500 vehicles were still stolen from their owners, according to the Coyote Secure Flight Observatory which compiled its own data from the recovery of stolen vehicles. with a Tracker system with those from the Ministry of the Interior and the GIE of Argos insurers.
This certainly represents a decrease of 13% compared to the year 2019 but 1 vehicle is still stolen every 4 minutes in France.
It's way too much.
Importantly, the study shows that while thefts recorded a dramatic 48% drop during the two periods of containment and curfew, the numbers exploded when the noose loosened.
The police are thus unable to contain this scourge.
The delinquents resumed their packages with more vigor than in normal times.
In September 2020, flights took off, with an increase of 70%.
More than 50% of declared thefts are concentrated in three regions corresponding to the first three cities in France.
Ile de France leads with a rate of 5.9 / 1000 (up 11%) followed by the Paca region and the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region.
This will come as no surprise: the most stolen vehicles are also the models that are the most popular on the new market.
Thus, SUVs represent 46% of the most stolen vehicles.
67% of them come from French brands.
The survey analysis also shows that the probability of having a business vehicle stolen is five times higher than for a private vehicle.
In recent years, light commercial vehicles, heavy goods vehicles but also construction and agricultural machinery have been particularly popular in theft sectors.
In recent years, the modus operandi has evolved and thieves have adopted new methods to thwart electronic protection systems.
80% of the thieves use the method of "mouse jacking", a technology which makes it possible to hack the electronic systems of vehicles.
Using specialized tools, offenders are now able to remotely pick up the key signal to unlock and start vehicles remotely and without tampering.
Another way to evade a vehicle is by connecting directly to the electronics of the vehicle.
In terms of motorized two-wheelers, scooters have the preference of thieves and by far over motorcycles with a loss rate twice as high.
Almost 6% of the two-wheelers in the Coyote Secure fleet were stolen in 2020.
To prevent the stolen vehicles from being located, the thieves endeavor to bring them to safety very quickly.
43% are thus stored in underground car parks.
Between 2017 and 2020, this storage method has thus tripled.
Nevertheless, thanks to the efficiency of its geolocation systems, Coyote Secure has thus been able to thwart entire areas of theft when the vehicle leaves.
On average, this system can recover 8% more vehicles than those equipped with the Coyote tracker.