Auto theft up by 20% in PJ area

Now that all of us have gone back to some kind of normalcy after the pandemic, it seems that thieves too are getting back into their stride, as cases of stolen vehicles in Petaling Jaya have risen by 20%.

According to Bernama, Petaling Jaya District Police Chief ACP Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid said 82 cases of missing vehicles were recorded from January to February this year compared to 65 cases during the same period last year.

"A total of 13 individuals have been arrested, and a total of eight vehicles were successfully recovered," he said at the recent launch of Carsome and PDRM's cautionary sign board installation. 

Based on a report by the Vehicle Theft Reduction Council of Malaysia Berhad (VTREC) in 2020, an average of 20 cars are stolen each day in Malaysia. 

In fact, Malaysia has one of the highest rates of vehicle theft in the world. Together with the Petaling Jaya District Police, Carsome aims to increase public awareness of the prevalence of car theft.

Fakhrudin said the collaboration was one of the efforts to help the police in preventing crime in the district.

Carsome will sponsor the installation of 34 safety message signs in hotspot areas around Petaling Jaya areas such as Desa Menteri, SS2, Mentari Court, Flora Damansara and in Subang Valley where crimes are identified as frequent occurrences.