Car thefts double up in Myanmar's Yangon

Car thefts double up in Myanmar's Yangon

Published on Sunday, 05 January 2014 23:31

Cars parked in a Yangon street at night (Photo-EMG)

The number of motor vehicle thefts has double in three years in the Yangon Region, according to the region police force.

In the region, crimes such as car theft, motorbike theft, rape and motor accidents have been on the rise last year while others were in decline, the police said.

The number of car thefts in the region was 48 last year,, up from 22 in 2011, and the number of motorbike thefts increased to 52 last year from 39 in 2011, and the rapes rose to 152 last year from 145 in 2011, and the motor accidents jumped to 2532 last year from 1652 in 2011, according to official data.

Compared to that of the previous year, the region was without any big crimes such as kidnapping, state treason and illegal possession of guns, but witnessed an increasing number of crimes such as thefts, armed robberies and burglaries last year.

Most of the car thefts are still under the stage of police investigation, with the thieves still at large. And most of the cars stolen were worth Ks 120 million each.

"There are skillful car thieves who can steal a car in five seconds. So car owners should not leave their cars carelessly. They should install anti-theft devices. Although CCTV cameras are installed in shopping malls and centers, they're not that effective. There are also weak points for the police searching for the thefts," said a police officer from Traffic Police Department on December 4.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/car-thefts-double-up-in-myanmars-yangon/