Auto theft, changed auto and effective prevention systems for auto theft

In this study definition of auto theft, extent of this phenomenon in Turkey and in the world, legal basis, purpose of auto theft, how the vehicles are stolen, motivation of auto thieves and factors affecting the auto theft are discussed. In addition, change auto- which is one of the objectives of auto theft- is deeply discussed and to support the discussion detailed explanation of identification chassis numbers and engine numbers are given. In the last part preventing or reducing measures for auto theft is mentioned.Auto thefts make up %6 of all crimes in Turkey. This rate can not be ignored. People having lower incomes and vehicles being high priced make auto theft a considerable crime among other types of crimes.One of the most important outcomes of auto theft is change in registration numbers (chassis-engine identification numbers) of the stolen vehicles. This phenomenon is called ?changed? in the field. During the years 1998 to 2009, 12955 suspected vehicles were examined in ten Forensic Police Laboratories in Turkey and 6018 were identified as ?changed?.When stolen vehicles are thoroughly examined, it has been found that vehicles not having an immobilizer system are more vulnerable to the thieves than vehicles having an immobilizer system. Thus vehicle security systems are helpful to prevent or to reduce the auto theft.