Asopartes: Car Theft Declines in Colombia

With a 3.5% reduction in the first two months of 2022, represented by 1,443 stolen units compared to 1,495 in the same period for 2021, Asopartes delivered the balance of vehicle theft in Colombia.

In the case of motorcycles, the guild reported, the decline was more drastic: 4,600 in the two-month period, in contrast to the 5,156 stolen in 2021.

He also reported that the most stolen auto parts in Colombia were tires, with 32%, side mirrors with 31%, and vehicle plates, with 13%.

With regard to the theft of auto parts, the National Police assured that, in fact, a car parts were presented, the National Police reports a decrease in reported cases, in the first two months of 2021 there were 1,358 units to 1,323 in 2022.

These figures were delivered within the framework of the annual Asopartes meeting, organized in Bogotá. At that event, Carlos Andrés Pineda, president of the union, said that “Although these overall figures are satisfactory, there is concern about the occasional increase in vehicle theft in Bogotá and Barranquilla, which have an increase of 16.7% and 14.3% respectively in vehicle theft. Similarly, motorcycle theft in the capital is above 5.4 per cent”,

As a result, the leader requested forceful action by the district authorities. In addition, he insisted on a coordination with the Mayor's Office so that, in coordination with the mobility sector, they deliver strong results against the number of thefts.

Pineda considered that each theft promotes a chain of effects given that when a vehicle theft occurs, criminal gangs are behind it, which subdivide the work, such as dismembering the stolen vehicle and then selling it on the black market in pieces, which is a negative cycle for the sector.

He also insisted that by department, Antioquia, Cundinamarca and Valle excel in the graphics, with the highest numbers of motorcycle thefts in February. But in comparison, a single department exceeds the accumulated ones in January and February, that is Atlántico, which registered an increase of 11.3%; by contrast, Cundinamarca reaches 4.7%.

The auto parts union indicated that the number of auto parts theft, despite being at a minimum compared to 2021, decreases the competitiveness and prestige of the vehicle parts industry, affecting millions of workers who bet on legality.

Pineda warned that one of the best ways to reduce the rate of theft, be it motorcycles or parts, is to stop buying used spare parts, because “that gives rise to gangs of unscrupulous people to use this mechanism to steal, to pull vehicles and, of course, to reduce their parts.”

Needless to say, according to Andemos, the best-selling motorcycle brands in Colombia so far this year are: Yamaha (59,582 units), Bajaj (45,728), AKT (44,963), Honda (41,844), Victory (35,801), Suzuki (30,992), TVS (22,981), Hero (16,529), Kymma (5,052) and Benelli (4,535).

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