I wish to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Board of Directors of The Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council of Malaysia (VTAREC) for the confidence entrusted upon me to be appointed as Chairman of the Board. I would also like to convey my appreciation to my predecessor, YDH CP Dato’ Sri Abd Jalil Hassan, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Bukit Aman, who has done an excellent job in garnering the collaboration of stakeholders and steering the direction of VTAREC in its goals towards reducing the rate of vehicle theft.
VTAREC has been established since 2007 following the National Seminar of Vehicle Theft co-organised by Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) and Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). VTAREC is supported by its stakeholders, especially from government agencies such as PDRM, BNM, Ministry of Transportation (MOT), Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Malaysia (JPJ) and Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malaysia (JKDM) and non-government organisations such as Persatuan Insurans Am Malaysia (PIAM), Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA), PUSPAKOM Sdn Bhd (PUSPAKOM), Association of Malaysian Loss Adjusters (AMLA) and Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA). The support and cooperation by the stakeholders have resulted in a significant of 70% reduction in vehicle theft since 2013. The reduction in vehicle theft is consistent with that experienced by the insurance industry. The insurance industry reported a drop of more than 90% in vehicle theft since 2013.
This indicates that the effort of the Government in reducing the national crime index, coupled with the private sector collaboration, has been successful. The factors that had contributed to this reduction are manifold ranging from the improvement in the legal framework such as the introduction of the Prevention of Crime Act (POCA), the tightening up the enforcement agency surveillance at the ports and border security areas and the upgrading of Government’s administrative procedures such as the implementation of the biometric system in the transfer of vehicle ownership, to name a few. The insurance sector, among others, further tightens the gap of opportunities for car theft by implementing a system to caution insurance companies for cases of ‘rebirthing’ of stolen and ‘total loss’ cars and tightening procedures for inspection of vehicles declared as ‘Beyond Economic Repair’ (BER).
Following its outstanding success in reducing vehicle thefts by up to 90% since 2013, as reported by insurance industry statistics, VTAREC has once again been entrusted with a vital national role. Building upon this achievement, VTAREC is now tasked with supporting the nation’s efforts to reduce road accidents.
Effective April 2025, VTAREC officially assumes two core mandates, which are combating vehicle theft and reducing road accidents. In line with this expanded scope, the Council’s name has been formally revised from Vehicle Theft Reduction Council of Malaysia to Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council of Malaysia, from VTREC to VTAREC, with the letter “A” symbolising “Accident”, reflecting its strengthened commitment to reducing road accidents throughout the nation.
Going forward, I will continue to encourage VTAREC to work closely with the stakeholders to take up several new initiatives to bring VTAREC to a higher level, which also cater for proactive role in tackling vehicle theft crime and road accidents, including at the regional level.
Finally, I would like to thank the insurance industry for extending its financial support given to VTAREC towards this cause.
Thank you.
DATUK LOKMAN JAMAAN
Chairman
VTAREC
