BC fights auto theft

February is Auto Crime Enforcement Month in British Columbia and the provincial government police, and ICBC are working together to reduce auto crime.
Auto theft is linked to almost every other common crime, such as break and enters, mail theft, purse snatching and armed robbery. Drug addicted car thieves steal vehicles to help them commit other crimes to raise cash to buy more drugs. In 2005 ICBC alone paid out more than $130 million in auto crime related claims.
In 2005, 12 people were killed in BC in stolen car crashes and hundreds more were injured. The financial cost of auto crime to the residents of British Columbia is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Ten “top ten” lists have been created that will educate the public about how they can prevent auto crime, which is not just a police or insurance problem, but is everyone’s problem.
ICBC is supporting the extra enforcement through an advertising campaign targeted at auto thieves. ICBC is also working with community partners to raise awareness of ways to prevent auto crime, through advertising and a number of community initiatives.
Police chiefs from across the province have endorsed Auto Crime Enforcement Month and are providing resources to focus on auto crime through the identification of high-risk locations and the targeting of repeat offender.
Volunteer groups will be out in full force during the month conducting parking lot patrols and checking for stolen vehicles.