Thieves steal 185 car registrations a day

Last year, 67,596 registration certificates, or pink cards, were reported stolen from cars in Belgium, reports Het Nieuwsblad based on figures from the Federal Police. That amounts to about 185 pink cards stolen every day.

Thieves use the certificates – which until last year had a pink colour – to register a stolen car at the Vehicle Registration Service (DIV), or to sell a stolen car on the second-hand market.

To fight this trend, since last year the government issues double registration certificates each time someone purchases a car, with the name of the owner clearly indicated on the documents. The measure, which was introduced in September 2013, has had a positive effect, with 67,596 registration certificates stolen last year, compared with 70,207 the previous year.