Vehicle and bike security

Vehicles

In Queensland, the majority of stolen vehicles are used for joy riding, transport or for use in another crime. The remainder are stolen by professional car thieves for monetary gain, and are either given a new identity and resold, or stripped down and sold as separate parts.

The following tips will help reduce the risk of vehicle theft:

If you have off street parking, use it. If possible, park behind locked gates or in a locked garage. Parking on the street greatly increases the risk of theft.

• Remove temptation - always lock doors and close windows when your vehicle is unattended.
• If you must leave valuables in your motor vehicle keep them out of sight. 

• For maximum protection, an engine immobiliser that meets Australian Standard 4601:1999 provides the most effective deterrent to opportunistic vehicle theft.  However, it offers no protection if a thief has easy access to your car keys.

Motorcycles

The recovery rate of stolen motorcycles is very low and suggests that they are more likely to be stolen by professional thieves and either given a new identity and resold, or stripped down and sold as separate parts.

Their smaller size and weight allows them to be physically picked up and loaded on or into another vehicle. There are a number of things that you can to do to reduce the risk of having your motorcycle stolen.

Read this fact sheet Protecting Your Motorcycle​​ to learn how to protect your motorcycle from being stolen. 

Bicycles

Thousands of bicycles are stolen every day around Australia. Many of these bikes are found by police but most bicycle owners never see their bikes again simply because the bicycle has not been marked and the owner cannot be identified.

A lot of bicycle theft results from owners taking insufficient precautions to lock their bikes properly or leaving them in places where they are vulnerable to theft. However, even bikes that have been well secured with a good quality bicycle lock can be stolen by determined thieves.

There are a number of ways you can reduce the risk of having your bike stolen, prevent the opportunity for stealing your bike and steps you can take to recover your bike if it is stolen. 

For more information visit the Department of Transport and Main Roads