Car theft, no joking matter

   Now that the sun has finally broken through Warsaw's freezing clouds of drizzle, there's no better time for a drive up to the Mazurian lakes for a few days. And for most Varsovians, getting there should not prove too difficult. It's getting home, however, that may be more problematic.

   Spring is the season of the thief, and those prized cars dusted off for the summer touring season are prime pickings for criminals out to make a buck off someone else's hard-earned pay.

   Recently, a colleague at the WBJ was stopped in heavy traffic when one of the back windows of her car was violently smashed in. The thief then opened the door, grabbed whatever he could from the backseat (this included a laptop computer and passports) and was already running off before the driver had unbuckled her belt.

   Another more worrying story told to me recently involved the victim of a "bump," which is a low-impact collision from behind. The driver jumped out to take a look at any damage and as he was getting out of his vehicle, several thugs knocked him to the ground, jumped in and drove off. Unfortunately, the driver's hapless girlfriend was still strapped into the passenger seat and was abducted for a couple of blocks before being turfed out at traffic lights.

   About 80,000 people had their cars stolen in Poland last year, including some 6,500 foreigners. Poland now has one of the highest car-theft rates in Europe and it's rising. There are regular reports in the Polish and international press of drivers being beaten up in roadside attacks and forced to hand over their car keys. Reports also include a rise in attacks on foreigners who are deemed easy pickings by canny thieves, with the list including tourists, ambassadors, sportsmen and even foreign journalists.

   With a 1% recovery rate for stolen cars in Warsaw, most people living in the city have given up hope of seeing an end to the problem. The Poles, a fatalistic lot at the best of times, are predictably mute in the face of rising car theft. For most car owners, if it happens, it happens.

   This fatalism was brought home once again last week when the chief of the special auto anti-theft unit was arrested for – you guessed it – helping organized gangs to streamline their car-theft operations.

   Ironically, his arrest could also spell good news for the country's beleaguered car owners. Interior Minister Marek Biernacki has made fighting car theft a priority, and the arrest of the police chief along with four others is certainly a step in the right direction for law enforcement. As Biernacki said – with a hint of fatalism – to the Polish Press Agency last week: "It's a sad success, but a success."

   This crackdown will also go some way to rid Poland of its image abroad, particularly among the Germans and Austrians, as a haven for organized crime – especially auto theft. One recent joke reported to be doing the rounds in Austria goes: "Vacation in Poland – your car is already there."

   But for Poles car theft is too serious to joke about.