TARTU - Even though car manufacturers offer state-of-the-art security systems, Estonian thieves still make away with thousands of vehicles each year - including luxury cars that many consider theftproof.
According to the most recent police statistics available, well-known German brands still dominate the lists of stolen vehicles. During the first six months of 2003, thieves took 193 Audi's and 191 Volkswagens, followed by BMW and Mercedes-Benz with 117 and 114 cars, respectively. In fifth was Nissan, with 98 vehicles stolen.
"The overall numbers are relatively unchanged over recent years," said Robert Korvits, spokesman for the Estonian police department.
According to Korvits, about a half of all cars are found and returned to their owners. The rest are never seen again.
But despite the police crackdown that led to several dozen arrests during the last year, many thieves quickly return to the streets as authorities often fail to prove their guilt.
On April 1the police announced charges against a group of six people, including four customs workers, who had forged Estonian and German documents to smuggle at least six stolen luxury cars - including the newest Mercedes' vehicles - into Estonia. Some of the automobiles had been stolen in Germany, Spain and Switzerland.
Last month, the Tallinn police intercepted two men suspected of stealing a BMW X5 sports utility vehicle by using a sophisticated electronic device to disable the car's security systems. It echoes a case last year where thieves used similar electronics to snatch several luxurious Audi A6 cars, which had previously been considered relatively theftproof.
Experts have said such devices, which can go for as much $10,000 on the black market, are increasingly common, still providing the offenders an edge in a never-ending security race.
Most of the 2,000-odd passenger vehicles stolen each year are, however, far from new or luxurious. Police statistics show that the lion's share of all stolen cars are at least a decade old and unequipped with a security system.
The Volkswagen Golfs and Passats, Audis and Opels of the early 90s do not attract crime groups equipped with high-tech gadgets, but rather juvenile delinquents or drug addicts who generally pocket an amount below 10 percent of the car's market value. The majority of these vehicles are quickly dismantled and sold off as spare parts.
Some theft victims are offered the so-called "buyout option" known to have been widespread in recent years - although the police has strongly recommended not to submit to such blackmail.
"When the car is gone, you have to place an ad with your phone number on the local radio," explains Tanel Udal, whose 1993 BMW was stolen from Tallinn's concrete sleeping district Mustamae last year. "Then wait for a contact."
After placing an ad, the victim receives a call from a person using a payphone or prepaid cellular card offering to sell the car back for up to a half of the market value. Such deals are often hard to resist, as most old vehicles have no auto theft insurance coverage.
"It's still cheaper than buying a new one," said Udal. "Police are usually no help in cases like these. The callers also warn you that if you try to track them down, the car will be gone forever. Afterward, it's a matter of how and where to hand over the money and pick up the car," explained Udal, who eventually refused to pay and has not seen his car since.
While older cars are easy to steal - with the help of hard-alloy key blanks that can be used to break the door and ignition locks - newer models are often taken from the careless who leave their car keys lying around. In recent years, there have been several convictions of thieves who have tailed victims to pubs and restaurants, where purses and overcoats are left on the back of chairs or in wardrobes, allowing pickpockets to do their deed and drive away. Such cases can cause many headaches since insurance companies often refuse to pay up if the owner is unable to produce all sets of keys. In some cases a victim of this type of theft might be obliged to continue paying a lease for a car that is long gone.
