The Integrated Municipal Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) launched its Bait Car Program into Williams Lake to help combat and auto theft epidemic in that community.
British Columbia as a whole has enjoyed a 35% decrease in auto theft since 2004 but Williams Lake was clearly bucking the trend. Auto theft in the small community of about 12,000 people experienced 74 stolen vehicles in the month of August 2007 which represented a 350% increase over the same month from the previous year.
To tackle the problem IMPACT quietly sent up several bait cars and the local RCMP began to plant them strategically throughout the city. It didn’t take long before two suspects were caught on audio and video stealing a bait car and IMPACT went up to Williams lake to warn local car thieves that ‘Bait Cars Are Everywhere – Steal One, Go to Jail’.
Television coverage of the news conference can be seen above.
In response to a 17% increase in auto theft and an 88% increase in thefts from vehicles, the Integrated Municipal Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) quietly slipped into Prince George this past July and brought with them all of the tools and technology at their disposal. The rising statistics combined with huge auto theft numbers the previous summer prompted the covert auto crime campaign. One could call it a preemptive strike.
IMPACT sent up their entire undercover enforcement team, extra bait vehicles, bait recreational vehicles and Automatic Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology. They also had local Prince George RCMP members, police helicopters, planes and dogs working with them.
The campaign concluded with a strong message from Solicitor General John Les who held a news conference to announce that IMPACT is an integrated provincial unit that is mobile and will move its resources wherever needed. A video of the news coverage is above.
If anyone has thought about stealing a car and running from the police, think again! We invite you to watch the video link below to see how impossible it is, day or night, to escape from the jaws of justice.
Police helicopters were first introduced to British Columbia in July of 2006 and by the end of 2009, they assisted or were directly involved in 191 stolen vehicle incidents resulting in the arrest of 284 people. They were also directly involved in 83 pursuits resulting in the arrest of 109 people. Once the helicopter took over the pursuit from police units on the ground, the vehicle’s driver was always arrested without further pursuit or increased safety concerns to the general public. You truly have "No Where to Run and No Where to Hide".
Auto theft incidents in 2009 dropped an amazing 12% in the Lower Mainland and 15% province-wide compared with the same period last year.
In spite of increases in population and vehicles, auto theft has decreased by 61% in the Lower Mainland and 55% in the province over the past six years. Other factors contributing to the decrease are the higher priority of auto theft to police and the public, targeting of prolific offenders by many jurisdictions, increased use of anti theft devices, and improved court sentencing. Auto theft and vehicle break-in statistics by region are available for viewing by clicking here.
The Lower Mainland of British Columbia includes 19 municipalities from Hope, Chilliwack and Mission to UBC, Vancouver and the North Shore.
IMPACT investigators arrest a repeat offender car thief. This video shows IMPACT and Surrey RCMP Auto Theft Section investigators arresting two car thieves in a stolen car and inside a bank. The two were spotted by Surrey Crimewatch volunteers as they drove a stolen Honda Civic through the Newton area of Surrey. When plainclothes investigators took over the surveillance, the stolen car was followed until it stopped in a shopping centre. The driver got out and walked inside a bank while the passenger remained in the car. Both suspects were arrested at the same time.
The suspect inside the bank fought back aggressively with officers in front of a dozen wide-eyed bank customers. By the time the camera arrived to film this arrest, the prolonged struggle had ended seconds earlier which explains why the officers appear winded. This suspect was found to be carrying a replica pistol in his waistband at the time of his arrest. It is not known what his intentions were inside the bank.
One of the two suspects was an escaped inmate from a provincial institution. Both are in their teens and are repeat offenders. Due to enforcement action like the arrests shown in this video, auto theft in British Columbia dropped significantly for the fifth year in a row. In 2009, auto theft was driven down by 15% across the province and 12% in the Lower Mainland.
These reductions can be attributed to four major initiatives that all work together to reduce auto theft. At IMPACT, we call them the four pillars of auto theft reduction:
Education: The public needs to be informed about the seriousness and danger of auto theft. They also need to know how to protect their vehicles from theft. Further initiatives are underway such as the Stolen Lives video which will be released in the fall of 2007 and shown to high school students in an effort to fully inform them about the dangers of auto theft. (http://www.oddsquad.com/)
Prevention: Advertising for the bait car program works to prevent car thefts before they happen. In addition, community volunteers and other groups work hard to patrol high auto theft areas and act as additional eyes and ears for the police. The Combat Auto Theft program, Citizens Crime Watch, ICBC initiatives and other programs all work together to prevent car thefts.
Enforcement: Plainclothes police officers in dedicated auto theft sections target and arrest high risk offenders every day. The video attached to this blog entry shows IMPACT and Surrey RCMP Auto Theft investigators following a stolen Honda Civic and arresting the two occupants. This scenario is typical of an auto theft arrest. In addition, the Bait Car program results in even more arrests.
Treatment: Since most repeat offender car thieves are addicted to hard drugs, the only long-term solution for them is treatment. In most cases, this can only be achieved during longer jail sentences. On average, repeat offender car thieves are receiving six months in jail for auto theft convictions.
These four pillars of auto theft prevention all work together to reduce auto theft. After a decade of rising auto theft rates that peaked in 2003, auto theft has dropped for the fifth year in a row.
