"In 2006, about 5,250 cars were stolen a year. Over 50% of them on the territory of Sofia alone. That is, 15 cars were stolen per day throughout the country and about 9 cars in the capital".
This was stated to NOVA by the head of the "Vehicle-related crimes" sector. at the GDNP chief inspector Svilen Trifonov.
In his words, the current trend is "much more optimistic". "In 2023, 1,300 cars were stolen, which is 3.5 cars per day for the entire country. However, the tendency for 50% of thefts to be in the territory of the capital is maintained. That is, they steal about 2 cars a day with epo in the whole country", stressed Chief Inspector Trifonov.
"Cars that can be sold on the market are mainly stolen. Unfortunately, more and more expensive cars are disappearing. We are talking about cars, the price of which is around 200-300 thousand BGN. But 10-year-old cars that are sold on the second-hand auto parts market are also attractive," he explained.
Chief Inspector Svilen Trifonov also explained the profile of car thieves. "These are people who are required to have technical knowledge. Be good drivers. There is continuity with them, and this profession "car thief" surrenders", he declared.
And he added: "Such thefts cannot be spontaneous. They are planned. Cars are marked in advance. The first most important thing to do is to get the device that can unlock the alarm system and start the engine. Thefts happen depending on the market. You can't steal an expensive car if you have no idea what will happen to it. With a device that has been on the market for 3 years, the smart system of the car is attacked and it can be stolen in about 20 seconds. Stolen cars are exported to Jordan, Syria and Dubai.