| According to the National Insurance Crime | | | | Based on the 2006 Crime Statistics Year End |
| Bureau statistics, a car is stolen every 25.5 | | | | Total report gathered by the St. George |
| seconds. As such, communities nationwide have | | | | Police Department, there were 137 motor |
| to be cautious because they constantly face | | | | vehicle thefts reported in the city of St. |
| the risk of auto theft. | | | | George for that particular year. This number |
| | | | mirrors only a tiny portion of the 7,267 |
| The NICB was created to work with insurance | | | | vehicle thefts reported in the state of Utah |
| companies to prevent insurance fraud and auto | | | | as a whole, said the Utah Department of |
| theft. As part of its functions, the Bureau | | | | Public Safety's crime statistics report. |
| provides statistics and list of cars most | | | | |
| popular among thieves. | | | | Sgt. Craig Harding, public information |
| | | | officer for the St. George Police Department, |
| Based on the Bureau's data, the 1995 Honda | | | | presented a seminar in September at the Dixie |
| Civic topped the list of cars most likely to | | | | Center explaining how community awareness |
| be broken into or stolen in the previous | | | | prevents crimes. |
| year. On the second and third spots were the | | | | |
| 1989 Toyota Camry, and the 1991 Honda Accord, | | | | He described the three components of a crime: |
| respectively. The Nissan Sentra, Acura | | | | a perpetrator, a victim and an opportunity. |
| Integra and the Ford F-150 also made it to | | | | "A crime won't occur if one of these |
| the list. | | | | components does not exist. If the perpetrator |
| | | | is there with the mind and will to commit a |
| Luxury automakers such as the manufacturer of | | | | crime, and the person comes out of the |
| the Acura brake booster and Cadillac Escalade | | | | darkened stairwell giving the opportunity but |
| are the hot subjects of thievery. Also, | | | | the person is prepared, the 'victim' aspect |
| statistics shows that students are now | | | | has been taken out of the equation," Harding |
| treated as easy prey to burglary. | | | | said. |
| | | | |
| Robyn Brinkerhoff, a junior majoring in | | | | The NICB suggested a layered approach, which |
| communications from St. George, said a former | | | | is described in an advice article titled |
| roommate had his car broken into. "He came | | | | "America's most stolen vehicles" published on |
| out of the house one morning on the way to | | | | MSN Web site. The layers are low-cost |
| school and was startled to find his car had | | | | effective suggestions that will make cars |
| been burglarized sometime during the night. | | | | less attractive to thieves. |
| The only thing they had stolen were his | | | | |
| school books out of his backpack," | | | | The first of four layers the experts suggest |
| Brinkerhoff said. "He had CDs, a stereo, and | | | | is basic but often accidentally overlooked. |
| all they were after was his books. They | | | | Lock the car, and take the keys - that's it. |
| didn't even take the backpack." | | | | The second is equipping the vehicle with an |
| | | | alarm system or warning device. Immobilizing |
| Thieves are keen. Whether they wanted a | | | | the car by using a smart key fuel cut-off is |
| particular equipment or document inside the | | | | the third layer, and finally, installing some |
| car, or the vehicle itself, they will find a | | | | form of tracking device that would allow |
| way to get it. | | | | authorities to recover a vehicle if stolen is |
| | | | the fourth, Dixie Sun reported. |