CHAT News File Photo

By Chris Brown

Hamilton man charged in connection to stolen property

Sep 27, 2021 | 10:22 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Medicine Hat police believe they have arrested a man connected to thefts across Canada.

Police say early on Sept. 24 they observed a male underneath a vehicle near Gershaw Drive SW and initial investigation revealed he was trying to steal catalytic converters.

A 43-year-old male from Hamilton is awaiting a bail hearing and has been charged with possession of break-in instruments and mischief under $5,000.

Upon further investigation police located a large amount of stolen property believed to be from across Canada. They say they’ll be following up with additional charges and attempting to locate the owners of this equipment.

Police say there has been an upward trend in thefts of catalytic converters both locally and across the province over the past couple of years, as they contain precious metals such as platinum, palladium, and rhodium. Thieves will often remove the catalytic converter by accessing it from underneath vehicles.

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“In 2020, the province of Alberta recognized the prevalence of this issue with the introduction of Bill 25, Protecting Alberta Industry from Theft, which resulted in amendments to the Scrap Metal Dealers and Recyclers Identification Act,” reads a statement from police. “The act created new regulations setting out standards for the scrap metal industry. The new regulations determine what information is collected by recyclers and is available to police. It also requires all recyclers to standardize how they report the sale of scrap metals.”

Anyone with information about a similar offence is asked to contact the MHPS at 403-529-8481 or submit a tip through mhps.ca or the MHPS mobile app, which is free to download and available for both Apple and Android devices.