Two NSW municipalities have received additional state and federal government funding to build on existing car theft prevention initiatives.

The Bankstown and Canterbury city councils have both been running the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council’s (NMVTRC) “Operation Bounce Back” car crime prevention program for five years.

Their success has seen them awarded funding for further car crime prevention programs.

Canterbury City Council will launch “Operation Car Safe” focusing on owners of older vehicles and encouraging simple and effective theft prevention practices. The program will give away 175 free immobiliser vouchers to owners of older vehicles over the next year.

Bankstown City Council will set up a youth diversionary program called “U-Turns for Youth” to deter at-risk young people from committing motor vehicle crimes by providing vocational education options in the automotive industry.

The second round of the NMVTRC’s “Operation Bounce Back” is now under way with a total of 14 local councils around Australia promoting car theft prevention in their area until the end of November.