A witness said she heard the Nissan Pulsar’s horn go off before it was set alight on the corner of Landsborough and Sherrard streets about 4am. It was then cordoned off by police tape.

National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council figures found in the 12 months to March that Nissan Pulsars were the most commonly stolen cars in Victoria, followed by Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons.

The revelation comes just a week after a young bricklayer spoke out in the hope something would be done after his uninsured Nissan Pulsar was torched by hoods in Magpie.

More than 19,000 cars were stolen statewide in the last year, with short-term thefts increasing by 16 per cent and profit-motivated theft up 24 per cent.

The law and order vote is shaping up to become a pivotal issue in next year’s state election, with Coalition figures putting pressure on Labor over rising crime rates as Ballarat’s population levels soar.

Western Victoria MP Joshua Morris spoke out following the vehicle thefts report, saying the buck had to stop somewhere.

“All too often it is the same criminals who are time and time again stealing cars and then setting them on fire,” he said. 

“If criminals continue to break the law they should receive punishments that serve as a real deterrent for this repeated behaviour.”

Ballarat police have previously pinpointed bushland in Nerrina as a hot spot for car fires.

They said torchings were usually committed by people whose fingerprints police have or those involved in evading officers.

Nationwide up to 35 per cent of all vehicle short-term and profit-motivated thefts occurred in Victoria – despite the state having only a quarter of Australia’s population.

The most common time for a car to be stolen was between 4pm and 8pm on a Friday afternoon, according to the report.

Up to 84.7 per cent of stolen vehicles were passenger and light commercial cars, 11.2 per cent were motorcycles and 4.1 per cent were other vehicles.

Short-term thefts of cars in Victoria has increased 59 per cent in the past five years. Thefts in NSW were down 26 per cent.

Mount Clear bricklayer Ashley Wilson, whose Nissan Pulsar was torched in Magpie last week, hoped something would be done to stop the spate of car fires.

“I missed a day’s work, which means I lose money,” he said. 

“Something needs to be done about these car thefts, because people who need to work and earn a living need a car.”

Ballarat MP Sharon Knight has been contacted for comment.