CAR THIEVES

Evening Star, Issue 23129, 1 December 1938, Page 6

CAR THIEVES

DISCONCERTING PREVALENCE NEARLY HALF OFFENDERS YOUTHS [Per United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Nov. 30. Alarm at the number of cases of the conversion of motor cars was expressed by Mr A. Grayson, chairman, at a conference of the North Island Motor Union, to-day. There were two reasons for his concern, Mr Grayson said. The first was the extraordinary number of cases, and the second ’ 'as the number of cases involving serious accidents where vehicles were driven by what he chose to call car thieves. This was considered to have a definite bearing on the road safety position, and it seemed that all the concentrated attention on the drunken driver was just a little out of .focus in that the position regarding the conversion of motor vehicles was quite as serious. Mr Grayson said that during the year ended December 31, 1937, which was the latest complete year for which figures were available, there were 786 cases of unlawful conversion. There were no statistics available concerning the value of the property involved, but assuming that the average value of a motor car was £250, the total value of the cars converted was in excess of £150,000. It was notv several years since this offence had reached a very disconcerting stage, and after intense efforts over a prolonged period, the Government had been persuaded in 1935 to increase the penalties for the conversion of vehicles. The statistics, however, showed that the penalties had not been imposed in a manner which had proved effective as a deterrent. One outstanding feature of the position, Mr Grayson said, was that of 546 charges heard in' 1937 approximately half of the defendants concerned had been under 18 years of age. The Minister of Transport and others concerned could very well give serious consideration to how this most unsatisfactory position could be corrected in relation to road safety. The position was urgently in need of attention, as anyone who was guilty of the offence of wrongful conversion was driving in a state of mental stress, which in many cases had led to desperate acts of driving. The psychological bearing no doubt accounted for the very serious nature of many of the accidents in which car converters were involved.

Mr Grayson added that it was extraordinary to note that most of these cases were described as “ conversions” for the reason that the wrongdoer so often pleaded that he did not mean permanently to deprive the owner of possession. He could recall only one case where a person was convicted of the theft of a motor car as distinct from the conversion of a car.