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Table 1 Mechanisms by which the vehicle registration system aims to prevent profit-motivated vehicle theft

From: Crime prevention design in a vehicle registration system: a case study from Australia

Measure

Mechanisms

Increase the effort

Increase the risk

Reduce the rewards

Proof of identity of the registered keeper

Makes it difficult to obtain a replacement vehicle registration document from a registration authority as the document would be sent to the legitimate registered keeper

Raises the risk of detection when registering a rebirthed stolen vehicle as the new registered keeper must give proof of identity

Although not impossible, sale of a vehicle without the registration document (which has been linked to a registered keeper through proof of identity) is likely to be more difficult

Check of the National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System

Prevents simple cloning involving duplication of another vehicle’s identity (both intra and inter-state)

Identifies vehicles that have been stolen and attempted to be re-registered. This can lead to prosecution for vehicle rebirthing

Increases the costs associated with rebirthing by preventing some of the simplest forms of re-registering stolen vehicles

Check of the written off vehicle register

Prevents vehicles that have been classed as non-repairable written off vehicles from being re-registered. This removes an important source of vehicles for rebirthing

Identifies written off vehicles that may have been used to rebirth a stolen vehicle. This can lead to prosecution for vehicle rebirthing

Written off vehicles can provide a cheap supply of donor identities, meaning that vehicle thieves may need to source vehicles from more expensive donor vehicles

Vehicle identity inspections for repairable written off vehicles being re-registered

Methods that use written off vehicles as donor vehicles for rebirthing will require all identifiable parts from a stolen vehicle to be anonymised, as well as requiring falsified receipts of purchases of the stolen parts

Identifies vehicles that have been stolen and attempted to be re-registered. This can lead to prosecution for vehicle rebirthing

Increases the labour costs associated with rebirthing as parts must be anonymised

Vehicle identity inspections for inter-state registrations

Sophisticated approaches required to change vehicle identities in a way that will not be identified by vehicle examiners

Identifies vehicles that have been stolen and attempted to be re-registered. This can lead to prosecution for vehicle rebirthing

Increases the labour costs associated with rebirthing by requiring more sophisticated, time consuming identity changes