How does a Council lose a few dozen cars?

The Herald reports:

An investigation into irregularities within the Dunedin City Council’s Citifleet and Citipark departments is examining the disappearance of dozens of council vehicles, it has been confirmed.

The Otago Daily Times has learnt the probe was looking into claims a significant number of vehicles – possibly approaching 100 – had been sold, and some of the proceeds pocketed, over the past decade.

The council was said to have 205 vehicles, together worth about $1.9 million, in 2011, but there is confusion about how many were sold, and how many replaced, since as far back as 2001, the ODT understands.

The council was understood to have found a sizeable discrepancy between the number of vehicles bought and sold, and the number still owned by the organisation, after examining its records earlier this year.

This should not be able to occur. Checking assets against the fixed asset schedule should be part of the annual audit. There is a serious problem with their controls, if they can lose perhaps a few dozen cars and not notice!