Car thefts recorded in Auckland

Albany has topped the list of suburbs with the most car thefts in the Waitemata Police District over the past few months.

In police data from May through to July there were 3108 thefts of either a motor vehicle or motor vehicle parts or contents in all of Auckland.

This included 29 in Albany in the Waitemata District.

The district includes the North Shore, Waitakere and Rodney areas.

Rodney could be considered the safest area with just 77 thefts in that time period.

Silverdale Central tops the list of suburbs in Rodney with just six thefts.

Waitakere and North Shore were almost neck and neck in terms of thefts with 260 and 254 in that time period respectively.

‘‘Thieves use a range of techniques, but most offending is opportunistic.’’ NZ Police

On the North Shore, suburbs hardest hit were Albany, followed by Takapuna Central with 17 thefts, Windsor Park with 14 and the Westlake area with 12.

North Harbour East had 11 and Hauraki had 10 and the remaining suburbs in the area recorded fewer than 10 thefts in that period.

Some suburbs like Unsworth Heights and Birkdale South recorded zero thefts in that time.

Meanwhile in the Waitakere region, Lynnmall topped the list with 23 thefts in that period.

This was followed by Glen Eden East with 17, Titirangi South with 15 and New Lynn North with 13.

Of Waitakere’s 52 police suburbs, 44 recorded fewer than 10 thefts.

The police.govt.nz website gives advice on preventing theft from vehicles.

‘‘Thieves use a range of techniques, but most offending is opportunistic: you can minimise their opportunities,’’ the site said.

Take your keys with you when you leave your vehicle and always lock it, including closing windows.

It suggests parking in well-lit areas where possible and avoiding leaving any valuables in your car.

Also avoid leaving documents with personal information in your vehicle.

Alarms can also provide extra security.

The site said thieves often look for cash, credit cards, sunglasses, handbags, clothing and technology like phones and GPS systems.

Vehicles can also be protected with things like a steering wheel lock which would slow down or foil thieves, the site said.