About CARS
CARS has been collecting and analysing vehicle theft data for over fifteen years and together with the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) is one of only a limited number of organisations around the world to have staff devoted solely to the issue of vehicle theft. This together with the unique database makes CARS one of the leading centres of motor vehicle theft research.
CARS began through an initiative of the South Australian Vehicle Theft Reduction Committee who recognised that timely, detailed and accurate information from a wide cross section of sources was needed by government and industry stakeholders to develop effective theft reduction strategies.
Based on its South Australian success, CARS was contracted in June 1999 by the NMVTRC to expand its scope and become Australia's national statistical and research database. Situated in Strategic Planning and Crime Statistics, South Australian Attorney General's Department, CARS is an invaluable tool that helps drive the NMVTRC's vehicle theft reforms and provides its services to all Australian stakeholders with an interest in vehicle crime.
Through its comprehensive data collation, cleansing, verification and value-adding processes, CARS provides one of the world's most sophisticated and widely accessible motor vehicle theft data sources at a national, state and local level. CARS data facilitates in-depth statistical analysis, research, policy development and program evaluation for law enforcement and transport agencies, crime prevention practitioners, policy makers, and the insurance and vehicle related industry sectors.
Awards
In 2009, CARS was awarded a Certificate of Merit in the Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards. The awards reward good practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crimes in Australia.
In 2004, CARS won the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators (Australasian Branch) award for "Outstanding Contribution to the Reduction/ Prevention of Motor Vehicle Theft in Australasia".