Professional paper
Strategic Approach to the Suppression of Vehicle Theft – Five Years Later
Dean Savić
orcid.org/0000-0002-7990-0102
; MoIRC, Zagreb, Croatia
Dragutin Vurnek
; MoIRC, Zagreb, Croatia
Ante Dujmović
; Police Academy, MoIRC, Zagreb Croatia
Abstract
Based on the analysis of statistical data on thefts of motor vehicles in the Republic of Croatia conducted in 2015 (see Savić et al., 2015), and based on a case study related to the strategic approach to this issue, conclusions were made that the police can have a significant influence on the further reduction of the number of stolen motor vehicles and increase the percentage of recovered motor vehicles. The aforementioned study also concluded that a focused strategic approach can actively influence security trends, i.e. more effectively combat certain security threats. The results of such an approach can also be adequately measured. The aim of this paper was to answer the question of the present state and future trends of this type of crime in the period following its last evaluation in 2015. In order to answer the questions asked, a quantitative method (descriptive statistical method) was used in relation to the available statistical indicators. The results obtained show that the number of motor vehicle thefts has stagnated with a slight increase, but at the same time the share of found motor vehicles has been extremely high, with a constant growth trend. Compared to other European countries, the theft rate of motor vehicles has remained extremely low, and the long-term downward trend is significantly more pronounced. Based on this, it has been concluded that maintaining the declining trend in the number of stolen motor vehicles is no longer a strategic goal, and that more attention is being paid to reactive action, which has proved successful, thanks to the existence of specialized organizational units and police officers in charge of this issue.
Keywords
theft of motor vehicles; motor vehicle smuggling; police, organized crime; strategic approach
Hrčak ID:
265207
URI
Publication date:
28.10.2021.
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