Editorial

It was Sunday, and I was checking social media on my mobile with my morning coffee.

There was yet another report of stolen cars in the Melbourne area, prompting me to open the eBay app and order a Faraday bag for the proximity keys to our Toyota 200 Series LandCruiser – our only vehicle with keyless entry and start.

Criminals have been taking advantage of the technology, using radio amplifiers to trick modern cars into thinking the owner is approaching the vehicle with key in hand – all while the keys are actually sitting on the nightstand or kitchen table. A Faraday bag can help prevent this.

The very next day, I was parked in the right-hand emergency lane of Eastlink, crouched next to a Mazda 3, and holding hands with a woman named Karen as she hyperventilated from the driver’s seat, trying to come to terms with what had just happened.

I was on my way to visit my parents for dinner on the Mornington Peninsula, travelling southbound on the toll road. I’d head-checked, indicated, and moved the LandCruiser into the right-hand lane to overtake the Mazda. Then I spotted it.

In my rearview mirror was a white Audi SUV Q7 coming up fast on the bank of traffic behind me.

The SUV swung across the road into the left-hand emergency lane, narrowly avoiding crashing into cars and the concrete wall of the Wellington Road overpass, before the physics appeared to take hold and, like a pendulum, swung wildly back – directly on a path towards me.

Then suddenly it was in my blind-spot. I readied myself on the wheel, waiting for the smash, subconsciously estimating the car was doing at least 160km/h. I hoped they had enough sense to jump on the brakes or use the outside emergency lane to go around.

Impact. The Audi tried to fit in the one-metre gap between the Mazda and the Toyota, smashing all three cars in the process. The Mazda’s electronic stability program stopped the hatchback from spinning out of control, and we both came to a stop in the emergency lane beside the blackberry bushes as the Audi sped off on three wheels.

With my hazard lights on, I took a moment for myself to check my surroundings. Traffic had slowed, cars were pulling over, and I was uninjured. We were safe.

I jumped out and approached the Mazda. The driver, an older woman, was clearly upset. I tapped on the window and opened the door.

After checking she was physically fine, Karen grabbed my hand, half crying, half screaming, and not understanding what had happened. I introduced myself, asked her name, reassured her everything was okay, and encouraged her to concentrate on her breathing. Witnesses were now appearing next to me, and the police arrived a few moments later.

“It was a white Audi, doing about 160km/h – probably stolen. They fled on three wheels. Is PolAir up?” I asked.

The officer shook his head to indicate ‘no’.

Karen was escorted to the ambulance that had just shown up, together with a couple of fire trucks.

The police took my statement and gathered information from witnesses, who said they’d seen the car “packed with kids”. In the fog of the incident, my initial thought was, “what kind of idiot would drive like that with their kids on board?” before realising my stupidity. The kids were driving.

Soon after it came through on the cop’s radio: the stolen Audi, with stolen number plates, had been abandoned in a nearby suburb. The perpetrators had fled on foot.

Eventually, our scene was cleared to make way for peak-hour traffic.

In 2023, the number of cars stolen by youths aged between 14 and 17 jumped by more than 50 per cent – with almost 20 per cent of all car thefts performed by minors.

Data from police shows 18.5 per cent of all car thefts across Victoria in 2023 were carried out by just 20 kids – responsible for 321 aggravated burglaries where at least one car was stolen.

The average age? Just 15 years old.

These teenagers had been arrested a total of 144 times across the year. Or once every 2.5 days. In other words, they weren’t very good at being criminals.

By March 2024, the number of recorded motor vehicle thefts was at its highest level in seven years.

By mid-2024, Victoria Police’s Operation Trinity – the most well-resourced frontline operation by the organisation – had caught more than 1400 offenders between dusk and dawn, with almost 65 per cent of those arrested being under the age of 18.

There is now widespread community outrage that these youth offenders are being caught, bailed, and are out on the streets the very next day, bragging about their crimes on social media in their fake luxury-branded tracksuits.

This week, the latest crime figures will be released, telling us just how far the problem has skyrocketed. Telling us just how much the current bail laws are failing us.

In recent weeks, the Victorian Government announced a major overhaul of bail laws. While it’s too late for the thousands of victims already affected, at least it can prevent thousands more from the trauma and inconvenience.

A detective called me sometime later, saying they thought they knew who the offenders were, it was just a matter of gathering enough evidence to add our crash to their long rap sheets. We hold out hope.

While I wait for the parts to arrive to fix our injured LandCruiser – a mere annoyance, nothing more – I continue to speak with Karen on the phone. What was a joyride for some tiprats in an Audi was a traumatic event for Karen, with lasting effects.

Until these kids begin to connect their actions with their consequences, the onus is on us to make their lives as difficult as possible. Make sure your gates, doors, and windows are locked. Get security cameras. Put your keys in a Faraday bag. Be a mentor to the children in your life.