A couple of international reports this past week indicate vehicle thefts are on the rise generally. In Australia information surfaced that vehicle thefts are on the rise for the first time in almost a decade.

Statistics from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, reported by IAATI, showed profit-motivated car thefts in Western Australia jumped 48 per cent in the year to March, with more passenger vehicles apparently taken and stripped for parts or resale.

Quarterly figures revealed a 16 per cent rise in motorcycle and passenger vehicle thefts in the March 2012 quarter, up from 1819 vehicles in the three months to December 2011 and insiders are quoted as saying the problem is getting steadily worse Australia-wide.

In the UK the Daily Telegraph reports that BMW owners have criticised the German car manufacturer over its security features after a rise in thefts. Thieves are allegedly smashing windows and connecting a special device to the vehicle’s diagnostic system. They are then apparently able to re-programme a blank electronic key, allowing them to drive the car away.

A number of makes are being targeted with this method, but it seems that BMW cars are proving particularly popular with thieves. West Midlands Police say 314 BMWs have been stolen in its area so far this year, compared with 258 in the whole of 2011. However, vehicle theft generally has fallen in that region this year.

CCTV footage showed one gang stealing Steve Wood’s £43,000 BMW 1M in less than three minutes. Mr Wood, 29, an air traffic controller, said of BMW: “I can’t understand why they would design a car that can have a key programmed in less than a minute. Why would anyone want this?”

One London-based BMW owner allegedly had two cars stolen via this method. BMW denied that it had a problem with security. A spokesman said: “The battle against increasingly sophisticated thieves is a constant challenge for all car makers. BMW has been at the forefront of vehicle security for many years and is constantly pushing the boundaries of the latest defence systems.”

The problem has been partly blamed on EU rules which allow independent garages to carry out servicing. It means more garages have access to the device allegedly used by thieves.