Increase in Car Thefts During Semana Santa
Semana Santa or Holy Week was
not only a time for religious traditions and a vacation to the beach or
mountains for many, but also a time for car thieves to do what they do
best.
According to a report by the 911 emergency line, there 505 calls for
thefts and assaults. The number of calls was somewhat less than that of
Semana Santa in 2004, when there were 532 calls registered.
The negative point, according to the emergency line, is that numbers in
the increase in car thefts during the holiday period, though no specific
figures were released.
According to police there two types of cars in the minds of thieves.
One, popular cars that can be stripped and easily sold for parts. These
types of cars are also sometimes to commit other illegal acts due to the
higher percentage of similar cars on the road. The Hyundai Excel head
this list.
The second type of car favoured by thieves are the luxury or high priced
cars, that can be shipped to points outside the country or "twinned",
the process of replacing the serial numbers of the car with another
registered and not reported stolen.
The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) reveals that parking lots
are the favourite spots by car thieves and where most of the cars are
stolen.
Numbers released by the OIJ for the period of January and October of
2004, the parking lot at Hospital Mexico heads the list with the most
cars stolen, followed by the Universidad Latina lot and Pricesmart in
Zapote.
Malls, like Multiplaza in Escazú has it's share of robberies
notwithstanding the high level of security, mainly due to the large
number of luxury vehicles parked by visitors to the mall.
How can you prevent your car from being stolen while shopping? The best
is to leave it at home and take a taxi. Since that is impossible,
authorities suggest you park your car as near as possible to the
entrance, where there is a high volume of traffic, lock all doors
securely and don't leave your valuables in plain sight.
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