Photo courtesy of Scott Roblin

By Scott Roblin

Tire Thefts

Provincial rise in tire thefts has Medicine Hat Police on the lookout

Feb 5, 2020 | 5:12 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat Police are asking drivers and auto business owners to keep a watchful eye on their tires this month.

This comes after a provincial bulletin was issued to police detachments across Alberta reporting a spike in the cases of tire thefts.

“A trend for the past weeks seems to be thefts of tires,” said MHPS Insp. Brent Secondiak. “That can come in the form of large businesses that have tires, automotive dealerships, or backyards and sheds.”

Along with many of the thefts occurring at businesses either selling or holding tires, there have been some instances of tires being stolen off parked vehicles as well.

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Most of the cases come from rural areas of the province, though Secondiak said these thefts can happen anywhere in Alberta including Medicine Hat.

Though they’re focusing on preventative enforcement before Medicine Hat sees a spike.

“It’s not a huge trend here, I’ve seen just a few occurrences,” said Secondiak. “But, we want to stop it and make people aware before it becomes an issue.”

One of those Medicine Hat occurrences came in December, as a vehicle parked on a driveway had its tires stolen.

“There was a car that was jacked up, put onto blocks, and the tire and rim were removed from the vehicle,” said Secondiak. “It’s very uncommon, something that we haven’t seen of at all lately. But, it did occur in the city.”

While police look to prevent these thefts, Secondiak added there are steps vehicle and business owners can take to limit the risk.

“The most difficult thing that we have is if we recover the tires, we don’t know who they belong to,” he said. “If you could take a picture of your tires, know the make and model they’re supposed to go on, or just secure them in your property. So, if you have a business secure your compound, if you have them at home secure them in a garage or a locked shed.”

Anyone who experiences a theft of tires is asked to contact MHPS’ non-emergency line at 403-529-8481 or by using their mobile app.