B.C. not immune from growing car theft problem: police
Posted February 8, 2024 7:36 am.
Last Updated February 8, 2024 7:39 am.
The Canadian government is holding a national summit on auto theft Thursday, aimed at getting provinces and industry officials to come up with solutions for stopping auto theft.
The prime minister says he’s also looking at ways to nail down tougher penalties for those who get caught.
Listen to CityNews 1130 LIVE now!The summit includes officials from various levels of government, as well as police and industry leaders.
Car theft has become a massive issue in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Quebec in recent months with gang members said to be stealing nice, high-end cars, packing them in shipping containers, and selling them overseas.
Ottawa has given the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) $28 million to beef up its abilities to stop and check shipping containers at Canada’s ports.
“Cracking down on auto theft means bringing law enforcement, border services, port authorities, car makers and insurance companies together,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Thursday. “We all want to make sure our enforcement agencies have all the tools necessary to prevent auto theft and to get your stolen car back.”
In B.C. however, car thefts have decreased recently. Data from Statistics Canada show there were less than 11,000 across the province in 2022, however, figures for 2023 aren’t available yet.
Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit of BC (CFSEU-BC) says just because it’s happening in other parts of the country, it doesn’t mean B.C. is immune.
“We’ve seen gang and organized crime groups here in British Columbia learn new tricks of their trade and oftentimes police agencies, like ours and others, end up having to react to new methods of crime that they’re employing. These individuals and these groups are very savvy, they’re very wily in the ways of being able to find ways to make money. And if there’s a way, they will try to do it.”
Houghton says they’re communicating weekly with their counterparts back east and are learning from their investigations to prepare.
“We are anticipating some of it come here, but for those gang members and organized crime groups that are thinking B.C. might be a good place to do this, you’re wrong. There are national level task forces set up to combat this, not just in Quebec and Ontario but in anticipation of it coming west and into the Maritimes.”
He adds as much as they’re preparing, the onus is also on drivers to ensure their car is safe.
“There’s a role for everybody to play in this. It’s not only a police issue. It’s also an issue of education as well … around safeguarding your vehicles and safeguarding your keys and fobs and things like that. Sometimes the simplest solution is the easiest and I think many people will remember The Club, that many of us put on steering wheels.”
Houghton is clear — you don’t need to be worried your car is about to be stolen, but again, you need to do whatever it takes to keep it safe.
“In many cases, vehicles are an expensive piece of property. … Don’t leave your car unlocked, and easy to steal. Don’t leave the keys in the vehicle. Don’t leave your garage door opener in the vehicle.”
Houghton says gang members in B.C. almost exclusively focus on the illicit drug trade, and that’s how they make most, if not all, of their money. He explains they also engage in firearms trading and human trafficking.
The federal government says about 90,000 cars are stolen every year in Canada.
