Vehicle owners are taking advantage of the State Government’s Secondary Vehicle Immobiliser Subsidy Trial with almost half of all vouchers snapped up within the first month.
A total of 9,765 vouchers have already been obtained as part of the scheme, which opened to eligible residents in Cairns, Townsville and Mount Isa on August 2.
The devices significantly strengthen the security of the vehicle, and mean that even with the car keys – it is essentially impossible to start the engine of a car fitted with a secondary engine immobiliser without access to a personal activation code or sequence.
The State Government is providing a $500 subsidy voucher to vehicle owners as part of a $10 million investment to support the installation of up to 20,000 secondary engine immobilisers.
The scheme will better safeguard vehicles from theft across the selected trial areas.
Up to 20,000 secondary engine immobilisers are expected to be installed across the trial areas, with a total of 9,000 subsidy vouchers available in Townsville, 8,000 in Cairns and 900 in Mt Isa.
A further 2,100 vouchers are reserved for distribution to people across the three trial areas who are identified by police as individuals who would benefit from the installation of an immobiliser device.
Acting Assistant Commissioner Chris Stream said almost half of the allocated vouchers had been issued to residents in just the first month of the program.
“We have been really encouraged by the interest from both vehicle owners wanting to boost their security and also the participation from installers,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Stream said.
“Having hundreds of vehicles fitted with secondary immobilisers in only the first few weeks of the trial is excellent and we look forward to seeing more people take-up this offer.
“From a policing perspective, reducing vehicle theft remains a significant priority for the Police Service, and we know preventative measures such as this initiative will really be key to us driving down property crime.”
Police Minister Mark Ryan encouraged more residents in the eligible areas to take-up the offer.
“We know these devices are making a real difference for vehicle owners, not only in protecting their vehicle but providing a level of comfort to them,” Minister Ryan said.
“I’m encouraging interested vehicle owners in the trial area to get on board and take advantage of this offer.”
More information about the trial is available on the QPS Website: https://www.police.qld.gov.au/initiatives/vehicle-immobiliser-subsidy-trial
