Victoria sees spike in number plate theft as thieves target suburbs statewide

From Cranbourne to Sunshine, these are the suburbs where motorists should be on high alert for number plate thieves. See the latest crime figures for your area.

Victorian motorists are being urged to park their cars in locked garages and install anti-theft screws following a spike in number plate thefts post-pandemic.

Police have recorded upwards of 16,900 number plate offences in the year ending June 2023, with an average of 55 plates stolen a day, according to Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) data.

The average number of plate thefts daily has increased by 18 per cent since the same period last year where 14,362 offences were recorded, and is the highest number seen in three years.

Number plate thefts include thieves stealing physical plates from cars and cloning, with stolen plates typically used for further offences such burglaries, ram raids, petrol drive offs, toll evasion and to evade police, a Victoria Police spokesman told the Herald Sun.

In an unchanged trend, vehicles situated in the state’s northwest tend to be targeted the most frequently, with the region recording 7152 thefts in the 12 months before June.

Cars in the City of Hume were mostly singled out, with offences recorded in the suburbs of Craigieburn, Campbellfield, Broadmeadows and Tullamarine.

Number plate theft has spiked since the pandemic, with police recording the most offences in three years.

The neighbouring local government area of Brimbank ranks second with Victoria Police recording 938 number plate offences in the area, with the majority taking place in St Albans, Sunshine, Deer Park and Albion.

Other suburbs where there was a high rate of number plate thefts include Wyndham, Merri-bek, Melbourne, Maribyrnong and Melton.

Thieves also ran rampant in the southern metro suburbs, with the City of Casey recording 1017 number plate thefts – the highest rate of stolen plates out of all LGAs.

Cranbourne and its surrounding suburbs were mostly targeted, followed by Berwick, Narre Warren, Hampton Park and Hallam.

Meanwhile, the suburbs of Lysterfield, Beaconsfield, Warneet and Tooradin recorded the least amount of number plate thefts, with police only making one report in each area.

In the state’s eastern suburbs, the City of Monash dominated its neighbouring LGAs where 26 per cent of the region’s 3092 number plate thefts occurred.

Vehicles in Mulgrave were a common target, with 132 thefts occurring, followed by Glen Waverly and Clayton where 224 offences were collectively committed.

Police patrolling the LGAs of Whitehorse, Knox, Boroondara, Maroondah and Manningham also recorded a significant amount of number plate thefts, with more than 1330 offences documented.

Meanwhile, motorists in the state’s western region appear to be hit with fewer thefts, with police recording just 1900 offences in the 12 months preceding June.

Greater Geelong saw the most number plates tampered with, followed by Ballarat and Greater Bendigo, which collectively made up 72 per cent of the region’s total thefts.

While overall number plate theft is 27.9 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, Victoria Police are still advising motorists to be vigilant.

“We want to reassure the community that we take this type of offending very seriously and we are committed to identifying and holding offenders to account,” a Victoria Police spokesperson said.

“Under the Road Safety Act, it is an offence to forge or fraudulently alter or use any vehicle identifier, including an identification number plate. The penalty is 60 penalty units or six months imprisonment.”

Car owners are encouraged to install anti-theft screws, park their vehicles in a secured garage or a driveway at their home, and blur their registration number when posting photos of their vehicle online to avoid their number plate from being stolen. 

“Vehicle owners should report number plate theft and suspected cloning activity to Victoria Police via Crime Stoppers, or through the Police Assistance Line on 131 444,” the spokesperson said.

“Victoria Police works closely with the Department of Transport, Department of Justice and Community Safety, VicRoads and other agencies to improve the security of number plates and reduce number plate theft and vehicle-related crime.”

More information on Victoria Police’s SafePL8 initiative is available on its website.