Calgary car thefts still on the rise
Posted Mar 1, 2017 7:22 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It continues to be a big problem in Calgary: car thefts are on the rise again to start 2017.
In the month of January, there were a mind-boggling 567 vehicles stolen.
Auto theft Det. David Bailey compares that to the previous two Januarys.
“For 2015, the figures I was able to pull, we had 375. (In) 2016, 413,” he said.
He says there are a number of factors at play. The economy is an important one, but it also comes down to how easily and readily available cars are to steal.
“Two, three weeks ago an operation we were running, we arrested two juveniles,” he said. “They spoke to trying 10 to 12 different vehicles before they found the two they actually stole. Just walking around trying different door handles to see if vehicles were running – it’s as easy as that.”
Bailey adds stolen cars usually go hand in hand with other crimes such as drugs, weapons offences and break and enters.
He adds they’re tackling the problem from every angle, from trying to get people to stop leaving their cars running, to new legislation.
“That would hopefully make it not as easy for criminals to steal these vehicles, re-VIN them, clone them, that kind of thing,” he explained.
Bailey admits these cases take time and resources to prosecute and everyone has a role in trying to cut down on the number of thefts.
