The Social and Crime Prevention Bureau of the judiciary has revealed the names of five car models that are a darling of car thieves.
The cars most affected are the SAIPA Pride, IKCO's Peugeot 405, Peugeot Pars (Persia), IKCO's Samand and Nissan pickups.
Pride tops the list as it is the easiest to break into due to its sheer lack of protection system. Anecdotally, in many cases the driver's door is bent open, windows smashed or locks jammed open with screwdrivers.
According to the local automotive news site Asre Khodro, the majority of stolen cars were manufactured in 2009 or before and most were without additional security systems.
As part of a plan for reducing and preventing car theft, the judiciary has proposed the use of modern tools and technology, specifically GPS devices on cars making them easier to track.
Alireza Savari, head of the judiciary's Crime Prevention Bureau, said the plan would be piloted first in Tehran, Alborz, Khorasan Razavi, Fars, Isfahan and Kermanshah provinces.
The official added that independent auto part retailers currently sell GPS trackers for 2.5 million to 10 million rials ($64-256).
"Owners of stolen cars are mostly from lower-end of the economic ladder. We are trying to reduce the cost of the transmitters to 1 million rials ($25)," he said.
To execute the plan
Several organizations need to cooperate if the latest plan is to be executed, Savari noted. These include, but are not limited to, the Central Insurance Company, Law Enforcement Forces, Ministry of Industries, Mining, and Trade and the Islamic Republic Customs Administration.
Negotiations are underway with the Tehran Municipality to have GPS trackers installed at the same time when cars go for their mandatory annual vehicle inspection.
The official says with cooperation among the relevant bodies, the plan can come into effect before the fiscal year is out in March 2017.
Reza Abolhasani, a supervisor at the Public Prosecutors Office, had said earlier that most car thefts reported in Tehran were burglaries.
Abolhasani says the high rate of car thefts in the sprawling capital can be linked to a variety of reasons. "Municipalities at times issue permits for construction of homes without parking spaces. This policy compels homeowners to park their vehicles on the streets and thereby increase chances of theft."
In Iran almost every family owns a car. In the larger urban areas families own three to four cars. For many owning an expensive car is a status symbol.
