Mexican car theft detection app introduces new features

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The phone app ChecAuto MX , created by the National Security Commission (CNS) introduced a new feature called Vehicular Risk Zone , designed to detect levels of car theft impact on the Mexican territory at a 656 feet radius . The head of the Information Unit for Public Security of CNS , Ricardo Márquez Blas , stated that the app works with geo-referenced focal points .

“From the comfort of their homes, workplaces, or any given location, citizens will be able to monitor car theft incidence in their proximity through a geo-referenced map,” he explained.

Márquez Blas stated that the new feature will be available for users of Android and iOS operating systems. The app will be updated automatically on a regular basis, though users may be required to update the app through manual procedures.

The public official stressed that ChecAuto MX was meant to be part of the database “ecosystem” of the Mexican platform and can be downloaded for free with any kind of smartphone available. Citizens will be able to know whether a car has been reported as stolen, among other things.

Márquez Blas revealed that, ever since its presentation on January, 2018 , the app has been downloaded more than 669,000 times .

“The number is quite significant since we’re dealing with a safety-related app and, more specifically, vehicular safety. This has led CheckAuto MX to position itself as a world leader in vehicular consulting worldwide. It is now the most popular app of its kind available at Play Store ,” he claimed.

Over 12 million inquiries were made from January to April through ChecAuto MX , 250,000 of which have yielded positive results, meaning that the vehicles consulted turned out to be stolen. These results correspond to over 89,000 vehicles with theft reports.

During the first four months of the year, 20,813 vehicles were recovered and duly put on record in CNS’s database. The app was used at some point in the process to recover 38% of these cars (roughly 7,975 vehicles).

He added that, within 21 stolen vehicles identified through ChecAuto MX, 41 dead bodies were found . There were also 52 drug packets found in 37 vehicles, as well as 125 weapons .

Furthermore, over 34,000 consultations were made from different countries, such as the United States, Spain, Canada, Japan, and Colombia .

Márquez Blas stated that the stolen cargo units used in San Martín Texmelucan for the extraction and transport of illegally acquired fuel are originally stolen in Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Tlaxcala, Puebla, and Hidalgo .

At least 145 of the 388 motor vehicles recovered during the first quarter of 2018, which were being used by huachicoleros (fuel thiefs) were located in the state of Puebla , considered by federal authorities to serve as headquarters for criminal groups of fuel thieves.

The head of the Information Unit commented that the states with most cases of vehicle theft for the transport of stolen fuel are: Puebla (178), Veracruz (58), Tlaxcala (38), Guanajuato (28), the State of Mexico (28), Mexico City (20), Querétaro (10), Michoacán (6), Jalisco (5), and Hidalgo (4) .

“26% of vehicles used to transport stolen fuel are stolen in Puebla,” Márquez Blas stated.