New figures from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) for the 2010/11 financial year show that the number of vehicles stolen in Australia is continuing to decline.

Overall total vehicle thefts fell 3% from the previous period, with 56,779 thefts recorded.

Passenger/light commercial vehicle thefts were down 4% while motorcycle thefts fell 3%. But other vehicle thefts were up 4% for the year.

Short-term thefts – defined as vehicles stolen for opportunistic purposes like use in the commission of other crimes, joyriding or transport – consisted of 88% passenger/light commercial vehicles, 8% motorcycles and 4% other vehicles types.

“Standard passenger vehicles, notably Holden Commodores and the Hyundai Excel X3 manufactured during the 1990s, stand out as vehicles of choice in short-term theft,” the NMVTRC report says.

Toyota’s Hilux and Landcruiser models feature prominently in the light commercial and SUV categories.

Short-term thefts have been reducing at around 4% a year for the past five years, although WA and Queensland reported significant increases last year.

Profit-motivated thefts – defined as vehicles stolen for conversion to profit either as a whole vehicle or as separated parts through various illegal methods – consisted of 66% passenger/light commercial, 26% motorcycles and 8% other vehicle types.

“The VT Holden Commodore manufactured between 1997 and 2000 remained the most consistently stolen for profit car, followed closely by the Toyota Camry SV21 manufactured from the late 1980s to early ’90s,” the NMVTRC says.

Profit-motivated thefts have only reduced by around 5% in total over the past five years, with Queensland and WA again registering rises in the past year.