The effect of drug and psychotropic abuse on car theft (Case study: Hamadan)

Theft of car contents is significantly more common than other thefts. The police are always looking for a way to identify the social factors of committing theft, such as addiction, to provide a targeted solution to combat it. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of narcotics and psychotropic substances on car theft in Hamadan.

The method of the present study is quantitative content analysis and its statistical population is all car theft cases registered with the Hamadan Intelligence Police during 1399, which are classified based on the frequency of theft. 80 cases related to car theft were targeted by sampling method and the history of addiction to these types of drugs as well as the history of theft (time and number) were counted. The data were analyzed descriptively and analytically.

Drug addiction has a direct and significant relationship with car theft. Thus, 62.5% of thieves had a history of addiction and drug possession, and of these, 81.25% of them are addicted to heroin, which has the highest impact on committing car theft in the city of Hamadan compared to other opiates. Addiction to several substances, opium and glass are in the next ranks of influential factors, respectively.

People who are addicted to heroin are unable to commit very important crimes such as large-scale fraud, robbery, armed robbery, etc., but there is a direct relationship between addiction and committing the crime of car theft.