Dandenong is the worst suburb in the state for numberplate theft off the street, with 310 in a year
The five worst suburbs in Victoria are all in Melbourne, and police have named the individual streets where it happens most.
Victoria recorded 32,614 numberplate thefts in the year to March, another record, and 14,431 of them were taken off cars parked on residential streets.
Every one of the five worst suburbs is in Melbourne. Dandenong tops it with 310, followed by Preston on 213, Reservoir on 197, and St Albans and Craigieburn tied on 170.
Police have gone further than usual and named the streets.
In Dandenong it is Windale Street, Langhorne Street, Bennet Street and David Street. In Preston, Bell Street, Patterson Street, High Street, Gower Street and David Street. In Reservoir, North Road, Barry Street and Rathcown Road. In St Albans, Main Road, Thorndon Drive and William Street. In Craigieburn, Yellowbox Drive and Lawn Court.
The number keeps climbing. It was 29,790 in the year to March 2025, itself a 50 per cent jump and a record at the time. This year added another 2,824.
That is happening while overall crime in Victoria fell 0.2 per cent — the first decrease in almost four years.
Numberplates are the most common thing stolen from a car, and theft from motor vehicles is now the second-largest category of crime in the state at 80,786 offences.
The plates are rarely the point.
“Police are seeing far too many offenders steal numberplates to help them fly under the radar and commit further offending,” North West Metro Region Commander Jacki Kline said.
They turn up on cars used for burglaries, ram raids, petrol drive-offs and evading police. Swapping the plate is the cheapest way to make a vehicle stop matching its description.
Police say the fix is a set of anti-theft screws, sold at hardware stores, auto parts shops and petrol stations for a few dollars. They are difficult to remove, and an offender who does get them off usually wrecks the plate doing it.
“Installing a simple measure such as an anti-theft screw can be the difference between having your numberplate stolen or not,” Kline said.
“Parking in a secure area such as a garage would be ideal scenario, however, we understand that not every resident or visitor to the area is able to do so.”
Neighbourhood Watch Victoria runs Safe Plate Day events where the screws are fitted free. Dates are on its website and on local Eyewatch pages.
Police are also running Automatic Numberplate Recognition, which scans passing cars and flags false or stolen plates in real time.
Anyone whose plates have been taken should call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.