Auto Theft

People steal vehicles because of the easy opportunistic theft, and because changing the vehicle is easy. After a little work the vehicle is unrecognizable making it seem as though the original vehicle never existed. Generally people who steal vehicles are experienced thieves, those who can make a profit by selling the stolen product to fences for a large sum. Professional car thieves know what they are doing and some of them can break into a vehicle and have it running in less than a minute. If an auto thief is a professional, stealing vehicles can be their mean of only income. There are also those who steal because of the thrill they get, these are generally known as joy riders. Joy riders do not have to be the stereotypical young teenagers; people of all ages are auto thieves. Joy riders end up getting rid of the stole vehicle either by leaving it in a ditch, by lighting it on fire, driving it into rivers, or crashing it while trying to escape from the police.  Others may use the stolen vehicle as an efficient way of getting from point A to point B.

Here is a look at the top ten places in Canada where vehicles are stolen:

Rank	Cities	% Difference with the National Rate
1	Fort McMurray, Alta.	208.95%
2	Joliette, Que.	200.84
3	Surrey, B.C.	175.98
4	Kelowna, B.C.	140.17
5	Brantford, Ont.	132.40
6	Edmonton, Alta.	122.05
7	Grande Prairie, Alta.	117.53
8	Winnipeg, Man.	108.85
9	Langley Township, B.C.	107.05
10	Saskatoon, Sask.	106.83

It is important to remember that anyone could potentially become a victim of car theft, so we should all take extra pre-cautions to prevent car theft from occuring. Common sense is the most important defense against auto thieves. If you leave your valuables out in plain sight in the vehicle or leave your vehicle unlocked you are only asking for a thief to break into your car and steal it. Auto thieves look for opportunistic targets; they do not generally go out of their way to steal a vehicle. A steering wheel lock is a great mechanism to divert an auto thief away from your vehicle. While it is really not that hard to saw off, it appears to be a hurtle against an opportunistic vehicle. Generally a thief is not going to purposely break into a car that clearly has an extra mean of protection, because it makes the job that much harder to accomplish in a short period of time. Parking your car on street with poor lighting or on a street that is often deserted is another way of asking the auto thieves to target your vehicle. Thieves are less likely to target a vehicle that is in a heavily populated well light area.

Here’ a look at the top ten vehicles most commonly stolen in Canada:

1.      2000 Honda Civic SiR 2-door 2.      1999 Honda Civic SiR 2-door 3.      2002 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4.      2004 Cadillac Escalade 4-door 4WD 5.      2005 Acura RSX Type S 2-door 6.      1997 Acura Integra 2-door 7.      2000 Audi S4 Quattro 4-door AWD 8.      2003 Hummer H2 4-door AWD 9.      2006 Acura RSX Type S 2-door 10.  2004 Hummer H2 4-door AWD