More cars stolen for the first time in 10 years

The number of car thefts rose for the first time in 10 years in 2013, according to anti-car crime foundation AVc.

In total, 11,761 family cars were taken, a rise of 3.2% on 2012, while the percentage of stolen cars returned to their owner fell from 46% to 43%.

Newer cars are more attractive to thieves than old ones and Lexus, BMW and Volkswagens are the most popular target, the AVc says.

There was, however, an 8.6% reduction in motorbike thefts and the number of scooters stolen fell by 10% to 14,487.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation