The number of O'ahu auto thefts has hit 7,532 up to Nov. 30, already eclipsing the 1995 record of 7,440. The 846 O'ahu auto thefts reported in October were also the highest ever for one month, according to police.

Honolulu police have since implemented more aggressive strategies to combat the problem and have seen a decrease in November auto-theft figures. But police officials admit that year-to-date numbers for auto thefts have already hit an annual record.

HPD Maj. Darryl Perry of the department's Criminal Investigative Division said "it's dropped off about 24 percent in November (to 640 reported cases), and we expect it to drop again in December, so we're looking at something below 8,000 for the year. But it will still be an all-time high."

Perry said police are not sure how to explain the spike this year, but said stolen vehicles are being used in other crimes such as auto break-ins, robberies and more auto thefts.

"You steal a car in Waipahu and use it to break into someone's car on the other side of the island," Perry said. "Driving a stolen car makes it harder to track you down."

The recent crystal methamphetamine or "ice" problem has also been linked to a number of property crimes, he added.

But the auto-theft problem is not only limited to O'ahu. Preliminary statistics for the first six months of 2002 from the state Department of the Attorney General show that the Neighbor Islands face the same problems.

Maui had a 54.4 percent increase in auto thefts from January to June 2002 compared with the same period of the previous year, with 383 cases. Kaua'i had a 60 percent jump during the same period, with 56 cases, and Hawai'i County went up 6.1 percent with 227 cases.

"While the overall case numbers may not be as high as O'ahu, of the eight major crimes, motor-vehicle theft is clearly the big story the past couple years," said Paul Perrone of the attorney general's Crime Prevention & Justice Assistance Division. "Other crimes have varied among the counties, but the rise in auto thefts appears to be across the board statewide."

Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle said short prison sentences for auto thieves are not helping the situation. He said those with first-time auto theft convictions usually get probation and no jail time.

For those with a prior vehicle theft conviction, the recommended "mandatory-minimum" sentence is one year and eight months, Carlisle said. Those with two prior convictions must serve three years and four months, "but even both of those sentences can be reduced by the judge," he said.

Perry said police have stepped up their efforts in bringing down auto thefts, including more inspections of auto repair shops and suspected "chop shops." In recent months, the Honolulu Police Department's Career Criminal Unit has been assigned to assist the auto-theft detail and the patrol, crime reduction and Alpha street units to aggressively deal with the problem.

Detectives arrested 50 auto-theft suspects last month — including Warren White Jr., believed to be one of the most active ring leaders in taking vehicles.

Because auto thefts went down in November, Perry thinks the decrease also led to a decline in the number of vehicle break-ins. Those crimes went down from 1,400 reported cases in October to 850 in November.

But the police major agrees with Carlisle that something needs to be done to keep property criminals incarcerated longer.