Car-theft website a hit in Auckland, not elsewhere

An internet website aimed at rewarding members of the public who report car thefts has been successful in Auckland but struggles in the rest of the country.

Spotter.co.nz director Frank de Jong said yesterday he was pleased with the number of stolen cars recovered since the website was launched in May this year.

"We have recovered over 70 vehicles, and the value of those cars in total is approximately $550,000."

Three-quarters of the recovered vehicles were from the Auckland area.

Mr de Jong was unsure why the website had proved popular in Auckland and not in the rest of New Zealand.

"I had initially expected percentages to mirror population bases," he said.

Spotter works by having people text the registration numbers of suspected stolen cars to 8811.

The texts are matched with a list of stolen cars on the Spotter website. Spotters are awarded from $150 to $10,000, depending on the outcome.

Spotter worked with nine insurance companies and Mr de Jong said the police were starting to see the value of the scheme.

Police Commissioner spokesman Jon Neilson said police were aware of the website and continued to "watch with interest".

Since its launch, Spotter had had 11,711 text queries and 2735 web queries.

- NZPA