Next year’s Australian Vehicle Crime Conference will be “a must” for insurers, investigators and claims managers wanting to learn what is fuelling theft and pushing up claims costs, according to organisers.

The National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC), Victoria Police and the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators will host the event at the RACV City Club in Melbourne on April 4-5.

National and international experts will discuss the changing nature of car theft, including the shift to residential burglaries to obtain keys and the increase in aggravated burglaries and violent on-road interceptions, particularly in Victoria.

The conference will take a “holistic” look at interaction between vehicle design, motorists’ perceptions, offender behaviour and government and industry practices to combat theft.          

Victoria has experienced an unprecedented and rapid increase in thefts over the past 18 months. Last financial year 18,000 were reported, up 33% on the previous year.

NMVTRC Executive Director Ray Carroll says the conference is an opportunity for insurers to “take a central role” in influencing government policy.