Dramatic footage shows the arrest of a pair of alleged car thieves while recovering a vehicle police say is proving popular among thieves.
Dramatic footage showing the apprehension of a pair of alleged Subaru Impreza thieves has been released by Victoria Police as part of an operation in Ballarat earlier this month.
Police punctured the tyres of the Impreza before the alleged thieves abandoned the car to flee on foot. The pair were quickly apprehended by officers.
The vulnerability of the Impreza to theft has been repeatedly highlighted by Victoria police in recent months, with claims that the number of Impreza models stolen by misusing technology such as vehicle diagnostic tools may have nearly tripled between 2024 and 2025.
However, Drive has been unable to independently verify these figures, and Victoria Police's stolen vehicle statistics are known to contain some errors and inconsistencies.
The Impreza thieves' arrests were part of an operation run in the Ballarat area overnight from April first to second, resulting in 12 arrests and the recovery of four stolen vehicles.
Victoria Police said the operation came as car theft in Ballarat reached “decade highs". While Ballarat's annual car theft is higher than at any time in at least the past decade, when the area's growing population is accounted for, thefts per capita remain lower than in 2019.
Per capita, Ballarat ranks 10th for car theft out of 79 LGAs in Victoria.
Annual motor vehicle theft offences – Ballarat LGA
Car theft has risen significantly in Victoria in recent years, with recorded motor vehicle theft offences now double that of New South Wales. Victoria Police have attributed much of the recent rise to legally purchasable 'key cloning' devices that can be plugged into a vehicle's on-board diagnostic (OBD) port to override the security on some vehicle models.
These devices, of which Victoria police seized 800 last year, are intended for use by locksmiths and mechanics. Push-button start Holden, Toyota and Subaru models are considered by police to be the most vulnerable to theft with these devices.
Toyota and Subaru told Drive they are assisting Victoria police on the issue of their vehicles being targeted, amid calls from the industry for a crackdown by regulators on the ease of purchasing and using vehicle diagnostic devices.
Detective Senior Sergeant Elissa Smith said that police would continue to target car thieves, but urged motorists to still take practical measures to make their vehicles harder to steal.
Where vehicle theft increased and decreased in Victoria in 2025
“Car thefts remain a significant concern for police and we will continue to run these targeted operations to remove reckless cars from the roads,” Smith said.
“While we continue to target thieves, we urge the community to take preventative measures such as installing on-board diagnostic port locks, parking off street where possible and always locking doors and windows.
“Our message to offenders is clear – you cannot outrun the Air Wing.”
Max is the News Publishing Coordinator for Drive. He enjoys creating engaging digital content, including videos, podcasts, interactive maps, and graphs. Prior to Drive, he studied at Monash University and gained experience working for various publications. He grew up playing Burnout 3: Takedown on the PS2 and was disappointed when real life car races didn’t have the same physics.
