The most-stolen models are Nissans and Subarus

Region V Carabineros police reported last week that 1,648 cars have been stolen in Valparaíso during the past year and that roughly 90 percent of the thefts have been solved, with the vehicles reclaimed by their owners.

Nissan - the preferred auto for Chile's car thieves. Photo by Thomas Derricott

The Valparaíso police report 200 car thefts in the past six months, compared to 1,000 stolen cars in Viña del Mar. In the nearby police precincts of San Antonio and Aconcagua, stolen vehicles totaled 178 and 280, respectively.

The areas where thefts most frequently occur are the center-city streets of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. In Viña, the commercial areas and central business districts run the greatest risks.

“We have a lot of people passing through our area, for both shopping and work commitments,” business owner Julio Sanchez told The Valparaíso Times. “The high concentration of people and vehicles makes it easy pickings for organized criminals.” 

Viña police this year captured a gang of thieves who, having stolen vehicles, forged ownership documents for them. With their arrest, police reclaimed 16 stolen Nissan vans.

Viña  Chief Luis Reyes said the most frequently targeted cars are Nissans and Subarus, especially those made after 1998. He emphasized, though, that, in a stolen car, newer doesn’t necessarily mean better.

“The more modern cars aren’t always so attractive for car thieves, because they often feature car alarms or GPS tracking systems,” he said.

Local police recommend that car owners park their cars in well-lit areas, with parking brakes and steering wheels locked. They also suggest that motorists don’t leave documents in their vehicles, nor any visible personal items that may attract the attention of passing criminals.  

SOURCES: El Mercurio, La Nación, La Tercera
By Thomas Derricott ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

A native to the salt-spattered shores of Sydney, Thomas travelled to Chile in hopes of expanding his horizons as a writer. After six months of completo bingeing pisco abuse, he awoke from his stupor to actually make good on his resolution. As a Valparaiso-based exchange student, Thomas juggles his sporadic university timetable with an internship at the ST’s Valparaiso wing, churning out pseudo-journalistic offerings whenever his battered liver permits. Thomas harbours a specific interest in culture and feature articles, and hopes to fuse a career in writing with his penchant for murky sub-cultures and cutting edge methods of debauchery.