Police, victims applaud federal crackdown on auto theft By: Chris Kitching Posted: 6:22 PM CST Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024

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Amy Wang has been cycling to and from work in temperatures as cold as -30 C since her car was stolen outside her Winnipeg home on a frigid day last month.

Her Toyota hybrid was taken in a way that isn’t uncommon in winter — she left the car running to warm up before heading to work, only to find it gone when she returned a short time later.

“I was shocked. I was super-mad,” said Wang. “I thought it should be OK. This happened in just a couple of minutes.”

She is among a rising number of Canadians who’ve had their vehicle stolen. While hosting a one-day summit in Ottawa Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government will consider tougher penalties for thieves.

So far, the crackdown is focused on thefts by organized crime, which are surging in Ontario along with violent carjackings, and a burgeoning overseas market for stolen vehicles.

Ottawa is pursuing a ban on devices that thieves use to copy wireless signals for remote key entry.

Manitoba had one of the country’s highest auto-theft rates in 2022, as per police-reported data compiled by Statistics Canada.

The province recorded 436 thefts per 100,000 residents, trailing only Saskatchewan (476) and Alberta (456).

“We welcome any steps by the federal government to crack down on auto theft, specifically in regards to organized crime,” said Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe.

Thefts linked to organized crime don’t happen to the same extent in Manitoba, but there is some activity, said Wiebe.

He said the province, police agencies and other partners are working together to curb organized crime.

“We welcome any steps by the federal government to crack down on auto theft, specifically in regards to organized crime.”–Matt Wiebe

The NDP government has proposed an “unexplained wealth” law to target organized criminals.

In Winnipeg, thefts are most often crimes of opportunity. In about 90 per cent of claims, the vehicles are stolen with the owner’s keys, Manitoba Public Insurance said.

Often, it’s an unoccupied vehicle left running, said Sgt. Trevor Thompson of the Winnipeg Police Service stolen auto unit.

“Sometimes, cars are taken to be used in other crimes,” he said, noting most vehicles reported stolen in Winnipeg are recovered.

After her car was taken Jan. 15, Wang filed reports with police and MPI. Her car was later found in a rural area a couple of hours’ drive from Winnipeg and towed to an MPI lot.

Wang is going through the claims process, but remains without a vehicle. She said prevention should be a leading policy for governments.

Fellow victim Morgan Kalyta is in favour of tougher penalties. Her Chevrolet Trailblazer was stolen in Winnipeg around 8 a.m. on Feb. 1.

About 45 vehicles were reported stolen in the first week of February, as per the WPS website.

“I was extremely upset as I need my car to get to work, to get my kids to school, groceries — everything,” said Kalyta.

Kalyta, who reported the theft to police and MPI, has been driving a rental car for almost a week. Her SUV is still missing.

While Winnipeg isn’t in the same situation as Ontario, Winnipeg police continuously monitor trends, said Thompson.

Tougher penalties and new measures intended to curb auto theft are always welcomed by police agencies, he said.

In 2022, the WPS received 3,749 reports of vehicle thefts, a 27 per cent increase over 2021 and about 30 per cent higher than the five-year average, according to the latest annual report.

The clearance rate — where charges are laid, for example — dropped slightly to about four per cent.

Thompson said cases are challenging when there is a lack of evidence — no witnesses or video, for example — or if the theft goes unnoticed for hours and the time cannot be narrowed down.

He said recovered vehicles are examined for evidence, such as fingerprints, by the WPS or MPI, depending on the circumstances.

Despite an increase in reported thefts in 2022, Winnipeg’s annual rate of 478 thefts per 100,000 people was well below that of 2004, when the city had the highest rate in North America.

That year, the rate was 1,932 — or almost 9,000 auto theft claims — MPI data show.

An auto-theft epidemic in the 1990s and early 2000s led to a provincial task force and suppression strategy in Winnipeg that targeted a core group of chronic thieves under the age of 18.

During that period, several innocent people were killed in crashes involving stolen vehicles driven by teenagers.

In 2004, the annual cost of stolen vehicles to MPI was reported to be nearly $40 million.

Chronic offenders were monitored by police and the province made after-market immobilizers mandatory for dozens of the most commonly stolen vehicles.

The auto-theft rate plunged. In 2009, it was 76 per cent lower than in 2004, according to task force data.

Meanwhile, Thompson said people can take simple steps to prevent their vehicles from being stolen. His biggest tip is to not leave keys in vehicles, especially while running.

“Avoid providing that opportunity for somebody to jump in and drive away,” he said.

Thompson also recommends using an anti-theft device, such as a steering wheel lock.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca