daily wrote in late December.

THE NUMBER of cars stolen in Slovakia increased during the first 11 months of 2010, when 2,082 cars illegally ‘changed hands’. The figure is 134 more than during the same period of 2009. As many as six cars a day on average are stolen in Slovakia, the Sme daily wrote in late December.

Of all the cars stolen in the January-November period passenger cars accounted for the biggest portion, over 1,900. The police managed to find 103 stolen cars, up from 93 in January-November 2009.

Silver cars were most popular among thieves, with 395 stolen during the monitored period, followed by black car (384 stolen). Thieves tended to steer clear of less traditional colours like purple (7 stolen), beige (5), pink (2) and blue-green (1).

In termsof brands, Škoda was the most popular vehicle brand with thieves (855 stolen). They focused especially on Octavia saloons (380), Fabias (180) and Octavia estates (120). Other popular marques included Volkswagen (241), BMW (189) and Audi (130). The least popular brands were Smart, Aprilia and Scania, of which only one each was stolen.

Most thefts took place in Bratislava Region, from where over one half of all stolen cars, or 1,083, disappeared. From this point of view Žilina Region was the safest, with only 32 vehicles stolen there. The capital topped the chart of towns with the highest number of stolen cars, with 752 vehicles.