Car Thefts to Increase in Israel as Number of Coronavirus Cases Declines

A study was recently conducted by Ituran regarding the car theft in the State of Israel in the first quarter of the year. The results of the research showed that with the economy returning to routine and the coronavirus lockdown in the country coming to an end, there will be a significant rise in the number of vehicles stolen in this year. 

The CEO of Ituran, Nir Shertazky, stated that because of the unemployment and economic situation in the country, it is not far-fetched to say that the year 2021 will witness an increase in thefts, as well as other kinds of crime. 

In the first quarter alone, the study revealed, there were around four times as many vehicles stolen from parking lots located undergrounds, as compared to the year 2020. 

In addition, there was also a rise of 6% in the thefts of SUVs and jeeps, as compared to the previous year. This figure was 37% of all the vehicles stolen in the first quarter of 2021. 

Ever since the start of the year 2021, Ituran has been instrumental in leading to the arrest of around 27 squads of perpetrators, involved in car thefts. These arrests are going to save at least NIS 150 million for the economy of Israel in this year. 

In the first quarter of this year, the keys of the cars were found to be in the possession of the thieves in 28% of the incidents. Around 36% of the thefts started with the perpetrators following a violent burglary method. Consequently, they would then attempt to hack into the computers of the car. At least 16% of the thefts were coded through the vehicle’s OBD socket. 

12% of the time, the thefts were carried out by towing the car first and then loading it onto another. In 3% of the cases, the vehicle was forcefully hijacked from the owner, whereas 5% of the cases are still undetermined. 

In other news, several NGOs in the State of Israel joined hands and made a petition, which was then submitted to the High Court of Justice in the country. The application was regarding the Green Pass program of Israel and an attempt to stop it from taking effect at the official events of Yom Hashoa and Yom Hazikaron. 

The petitioners belonged to the Model Common Sense and the Individual Freedom Protectors. These two NGOs asked the court to schedule an urgent hearing regarding the situation. 

According to the petitioners, the Green Pass program will not allow unvaccinated Holocaust survivors, as well as their families to participate in the remembrance ceremonies. 

They also provided opinions that they gathered from a number of doctors, which claimed that the coronavirus cases in the country are readily decreasing. Moreover, the opinion also contained statements revealing that the danger posed to vaccinated people from unvaccinated ones is minimal.

The lawyers who were representing these organizations added that of all the restrictions that the government has imposed ever since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, the most damaging one is the Green Pass program.