More than one car per day is stolen in Cyprus. Some are found but most of them are lost for ever. Some end up in the non-government controlled areas, others are sold for spare parts and others are never found.
The bad habit of leaving cars running with the keys on is the main reason leading to car thefts. Thieves are taking advantage of this fact, grab the cars and disappear. It seems that they usually prefer small vehicles that are more easy to steal and can be sold for spare parts.
According to Police data to Phileleftheros, from 2020 until 4/9/2022, 1240 vehicles have been stolen. From these, 933 have been found while 307 are still wanted. Most thefts take place in Limassol, Nicosia, and then in Paphos.
In order to deal with this phenomenon, the Police have increased patrols, particularly in areas where car thefts are more often. When a car theft is reported, all data is recorded and all efforts take place to find the culprits.
