By Scott Roblin

Police urging public to stay vigilant as vehicle thefts rise in Alberta

Dec 11, 2018 | 4:27 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Vehicle thefts have been a long-standing problem in Alberta and according to a new report, the issue doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

In a release from the Insurance Bureau of Canada on Tuesday, it found stolen vehicle rates in the province jumped by six percent in 2017.

A stat that doesn’t shock Medicine Hat Police Inspector Joe West.

“It doesn’t surprise me at all, certainly we’ve seen some of those trends over past years,” said West.

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Over 150 vehicles were stolen in Medicine Hat in 2017, while final numbers for the 2018 year aren’t in yet.

However, West said they’re expecting those results to be in the same ball park as last year.

“We’re happy to see that they didn’t go up, but we’re always after a reduction,” he said. “And, I think with some cooperation from the public in securing their vehicles, we could reduce that a little bit.”

It’s a particular type of vehicle that criminals in Alberta are targeting, with eight of the top ten most commonly stolen vehicles in 2018 being either Ford F-250 or F-350 models.

West said while it’s not necessarily an indicator of what vehicles are at risk, he added it means criminals have found a system that they can pass along.

“Criminals will learn how to defeat a certain type of vehicle and that knowledge will spread in a number of different ways,” he said. “And, those vehicles by virtue of that knowledge become more vulnerable to being stolen.”

Redcliff RCMP are reporting 19 stolen vehicles in their area this year, with the majority of those being pick up trucks. Nine people have since been charged in the thefts, while most of the vehicles have since been recovered.

S/Sgt. Sean Maxwell said it’s not only an issue in the rural areas of Cypress County, but in town sites like Redcliff and Dunmore as well.

“Even if you leave your keys lying around somewhere and somebody picks them up, they can easily walk through a parking lot and hit a button,” said Maxwell. “And, they can very easily identify what vehicle is yours and which vehicle they can steal.”

Meanwhile, Alberta Motor Association is pushing their ‘Lock It or Lose It’ education campaign, urging drivers to hit the lock button during the holidays.

Jeff Kasbrick, vice-president of government and stakeholder relations with AMA, said they’re putting extra emphasis on motorists being vigilant, with many travelling with Christmas presents in the back seat this month.

“It is prime season for vehicle theft to unfortunately happen,” said Kasbrick. “One of the shortest, quickest pieces of advice that we can provide is make sure that you’re removing your valuables from the vehicle.”

Maxwell added they’re doing their best to get the message of vigilance out to the public, but added it’s important for victims to come forward to police to help end the cycle.

“The faster we know about it, the faster we can respond to it, hopefully investigate it, lay a charge, and get vehicles back to people,” he said.