Motorcycle theft on the rise

Car theft remains low in Manila but theft of parked motorcycles in malls and hospitals are on the rise, the Manila Police District (MPD) said yesterday.

MPD’s new anti-carnapping commander Inspector Dominador Arevalo Jr. advised motorcyle owners to secure their vehicles with additional padlocks.

"As much as possible, never leave your motorcycle unattended for a long period of time," he added.

Records show that in April alone, a total of seven motorcyles were reported stolen in the parking lots of the Philippine General Hospital, UST Hospital, Chinese General Hospital, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center and the SM malls in Arroceros and San Lazaro.

SPO4 Celso Tan, a senior investigator of MPD’s Anti-Carnapping Unit, said hospitals and malls have become the favorite places of syndicates involved in car theft.

He said though that the police are usually unable to go after these criminals as such places are guarded by private security agencies.

"The guards are the first line of defense in these private places. The police are only secondary in their crime prevention activities and only act when there are complaints," Arevalo said.

He advised the security officers to be always on guard against criminals since they act as force multipliers for the police force. At present, he said there is only one policeman for every 3,500 civilians.

"The upsurge of theft of motorcycles in private parking areas is quite alarming," Arevalo noted.

He added that he would call for a dialogue with the chiefs of all security agencies in Manila to minimize, if not totally eradicate, motorcycle thefts in the city.

Meanwhile, Arevalo said the incidence of car theft has been minimal in the Manila area.

"For the past four months, there was only a single report of a vehicle allegedly taken forcibly from its driver by armed men," said Arevalo, adding that the circumstances surrounding the loss of the vehicle was even questionable.

A four-door Toyota Corolla Altis was reported lost while parked in front of an entertainment bar in Ermita last Friday.

But when investigators asked its owner to produce the special keys of the car, the complainant did not show up again. He said the complainant could either be making up stories only for insurance purposes.

Arevalo said police reports are used by car owners to claim insurance benefits.

"Such kind of car could not be operated without the special key. If she could not produce the key, then the car was driven by a person known to or trusted by the owner," Arevalo explained.

Most of the reported loss of parked vehicles, he said, were only made up by complainants who either pawned the vehicle in casinos or were not returned to the owner after renting it out.