Buffalo Metro Area has New York’s Highest Vehicle Theft Rate

The New York Insurance Association (NYIA) said the Buffalo- Niagara Falls metropolitan area has the highest vehicle theft rate in New York State and the Glens Falls metro area has the lowest rate in the state.

A report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) outlined the 2012 theft rates on a per capita basis for the twelve Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in New York State:

Theft rates in New York State remain far below the national average.

“The vehicle theft rates in the metropolitan areas of New York State rank in the lower one-half of the nation,” Ellen Melchionni, president of NYIA said. “Even Buffalo-Niagara Falls, the metropolitan area with the highest vehicle theft rate in New York State, is 196 out of the 380 MSAs in the NICB report, and Glens Falls ranks third to last of all MSAs in the nation.”

Of the 12 MSAs in New York State, nine reported lower thefts in 2012 than in 2011. Only the Syracuse, Utica-Rome and Elmira MSAs reported an increase. A complete list of New York State MSAs with rankings, number of thefts and theft rates for the past three years is attached.

“The lower theft rates are a reflection of the commitment of the insurance industry and law enforcement to crack down on theft,” Melchionni said. “Drivers taking precautions to prevent their vehicles from being stolen has also been critical to reducing thefts. Drivers need to remain vigilant—this good news does not mean anyone in New York should relax.”

The NICB Hot Spots Report examines vehicle theft data obtained from the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) for each of the nation’s MSAs. MSAs are designated by the Office of Management and Budget and often include areas much larger than the cities for which they are named. The rate is determined by the number of vehicle theft offenses per 100,000 inhabitants.

Source: New York Insurance Association