Key points 19% of all respondents said they or a member of their households were victims of vehicle parts theft over the five-year period. Vehicle parts theft was defined in the survey as theft of external motor vehicle fittings such as headlights, hubcaps and windscreenwipers. Inner city residents were most at risk of having parts of their vehicles stolen, as were home owners. Vehicle parts theft happened least often in the early hours of the morning and was fairly evenly spread throughout the rest of the day. Residential streets and public parking lots were the areas most commonly mentioned as the place where vehicle parts theft occurred.

The victim survey gathered information on three forms of vehicle crime: vehicle theft, theft of vehicle parts and car-hijacking. The rates recorded for vehicle theft and hijacking were very low — 3% and 1%, respectively. Vehicle parts theft was common, with 19% of all respondents reporting this form of crime. The section below includes data on vehicle parts theft only. Vehicle parts theft was defined in the survey as the theft of external motor vehicle fittings such as headlights, hubcaps and windscreenwipers.

Victim profile

Those households most at risk of vehicle parts theft were typically located in the inner city (table 10). The predominance of risk among inner city residents may point to the lack of secure parking facilities in the central areas of the city.

When theft occurred

The victim survey recorded the month, day and time when vehicle parts theft occurred in Dar es Salaam over the five-year period.

No clear pattern was evident for the monthly or weekly distribution of vehicle parts theft (figure 32). Vehicle parts theft was almost as likely to happen in the evening as in the afternoon (figure 33). Few were reported as occurring in the morning.

Where thefts occurred

The survey recorded generic areas where vehicle parts theft occurred. The two most likely locations were in the streets of residential areas, followed by public parking lots (figure 34).