Trends of Motor Vehicle Theft in the Republic of Serbia and other European Countries

Abstract

At the international level, significant efforts are being made towards reviewing the scope and trend of motor vehicle theft, based on police records and prior research on victimization. Since comparative research on the rate of motor vehicle theft between countries is still in its infancy, this study aims to examine the specifics of trends of motor vehicle theft in Serbia in comparison to other European countries. The research is especially focused on the characteristics of criminal activities and police officers, who are fighting against this form of crime in Serbia and its neighbouring countries. The research covers the period from 2002 to 2011 and the analyses show that there is a trend of reducing registered motor vehicle theft in Serbia. Furthermore, the number of motor vehicle thefts per 100.000 inhabitants in Europe has decreased linearly, averaging about 13.52 per year. This trend of motor vehicle thefts is also present in Serbia (1.36 per year) and neighbouring countries, with exception of Bulgaria, where number of motor vehicle thefts is increasing. Results show that there are statistically significant differences between the average rates of motor vehicle theft in Europe and the average rates of motor vehicle theft in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Hungary. Moreover, statistically significant differences exist between the rate of motor vehicle theft in Hungary and the rates of motor vehicle theft in Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria, while no statistically significant differences were observed between Slovenia, Croatia, and Bulgaria.