Rzeszow, Poland (dpa) – “Just been stolen, already in Poland” and “come to
Poland, your car awaits you,” are just a couple of popular ribald remarks
about how much Poles allegedly enjoy driving cars that do not belong to
them.
For years there was a bitter ring of truth to these jokes when Germany’s
eastern neighbour had a reputation of being a haven for car thieves. The
Polish government has recently been making great strides to improve the
situation, but experts disagree on the success or otherwise of the measures
so far.
“Around 10 million cars are registered in Poland, around 70,000 of which are
reported stolen each year,” reports Kazimierz Kedzierzki, a police officer
in the southeastern Polish city of Rzeszow.
“Then there are about 4,000 German cars which come here – and then end up
being stolen,” he adds.
The German insurance business’ association (GDV) in Berlin says there are
36.5 million cars registered in Germany, of which 74,490 were reported
stolen in 1999.
“Poland tops the list of countries with the highest rate of cars stolen from
tourists, yet again, in 1999 – and by a long chalk,” said GDV spokesman
Klaus Brandenstein. “One in three cars stolen abroad is stolen in Poland.”
The figures are set to decrease dramatically in Poland following the
introduction of a package of measures, some of which have long been
commonplace in Germany.
In addition to registration plates, vehicle documents will be now be
required. Kedzierzki reckons it was never a problem getting hold of number
plates in Poland.
Anyone bringing a car from Germany and trying to register the car in Poland
will now be asked to provide not only the original vehicle documents but
also papers stating that the vehicle has been de- registered in Germany.
There will, however, only be a central record of cars registered in Poland
from 2004.
Of course the Polish government and its police force is not cracking down on
car thieves just to please German drivers. Officials admit, albeit
unofficially, that it is one of many moves aimed at bringing Poland in line
for membership of the European Union.
Apart from that, it is a country where living standards are rising and it is
in people’s best interest to make the task of a car thief as hard as
possible.
“After the Berlin Wall came down,” explains Kedzierzki, “lots of east
Germans stole cars from the west, then the Poles stole cars from the east –
and now the Ukranians are coming here and stealing cars from Poles.”
Border checks were tightened up some time ago.
“We have been checking every so-called luxury car crossing over into Ukraine
for the last five years and store all the information,” says Strazy
Graniczej, commander of the border police in the border city of Przemysl.
He is also responsible for the Medyka crossing point where a total of 274
vehicles trying to cross the border last year turned out to be stolen. A
further 200 cars which crossed the border heading east could also later be
identified as stolen – thanks to the information held by the authorities.
“There have been a number of fundamental improvements in the situation in
Poland,” says GDV spokesman Brandenstein. “It is no longer anything like how
it was at the beginning of the 90s.”
Gerhard Hutzler, expert with the German Automobile Association (ADAC) in
Munich, believes drivers in Poland generally need not be unduly worried – so
long as they take certain sensible precautions.
These include never leaving the car unlocked – even just for a few minutes.
Brandenstein also recommends only using carparks which are staffed and
patrolled and remembering not to leave any valuables visible inside the car.
Steering wheel clamps can also be useful.
The measures should be taken by drivers, no matter how unremarkable their
car appears, says Hutzler.
“If you park and leave a C-Class Mercedes unsupervised somewhere, then you
should reckon with a 50-50 chance that it won’t be there when you return.”
Policemen working in this area are quick to agree that certain models of
Mercedes and 4-wheel drive vehicles are favourites in criminal circles.
Even with the recent improvements in border checks, gaps are still evident,
says Hutzler, for example, where poorly-paid border guards can earn an extra
crust by performing small services for the thieves.
A new thieves’ technique is particularly unnerving. According to police
officer Kedzierzki, cases have come to light where cars have been stopped at
supposed traffic checkpoints by thieves in fake police cars and wearing
uniforms.
Drivers in Poland should therefore not pull over for unmarked cars which
carry a blue light on the roof but only for ones with the markings of the
regular dark blue “POLICJA” police vehicles.
