Vehicle Thefts On The Rise

Cars in Concord are hot commodities these days for both car owners and thieves, according to data released Monday by the Concord Police Department. 

A look at this year's police records reveals thieves stole 353 vehicles from January to July—more than were stolen in the same time period last year. 

315 vehicles were reported stolen in the first half of 2012.  

Property crimes, such as vehicle thefts and burglaries are now the most common type of crime in the city, said Joe Surges, Concord Police Department records supervisor.  The city did not have very many violent crimes, he said, noting that during the first half of this year only one murder and six rapes were reported. Last year, 14 rapes were reported. 

While violent crimes are decreasing, so are crimes against cars. 

This year, 503 vehicles were broken into between January and July, 50 less than the amount reported during the same time frame in 2012.

Surges said these crimes of opportunity can be avoided by simply removing valuable items from the car. 

"You don't want to be a victim," Surges said.
 
"Don't leave stuff in your car," he said.