Auto theft is a serious crime that negatively affects businesses of all kinds across Canada. With criminal efforts growing in size and scale, how can proactive security help keep vehicles on the road and out of the hands of thieves?
Auto theft is now considered a crisis in Canada.
Auto theft has been and continues to be a startling and rapidly rising trend across Canada, with many pundits now deeming it a national crisis. Auto thieves have developed new methods to brazenly steal vehicles, and ways to grow their criminal enterprises at the expense of businesses, insurance providers, and vehicle owners. (1)
In Toronto alone, vehicle thefts have gone up 300% since 2015, and in Canada as a whole, a vehicle is stolen every six minutes and has led to $1 billion in losses – an eye opening statistic which truly shows the plague of this crime. Once a vehicle is stolen, criminals use many different approaches to maximize their profit – including “chopping” the vehicle into various parts and selling those individual parts on the black market overseas, or creating a new VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) in a process known as “reVINing”, and selling the car whole. (2)
Auto theft rings prove how organized these criminals can be.
Recent reports prove just how organized and immense auto theft rings have become. In August 2023, Windsor Police charged 23 people in an international auto theft investigation that resulted in the recovery of 138 stolen vehicles, worth over $9 million in total. The thefts weren’t isolated only to the Windsor region, as the ring operated in various jurisdictions within Canada, exporting the vehicles to countries such as United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Colombia, and Kuwait. The size and scale of these auto thefts has left governments, law enforcement, businesses, and vehicle owners reeling from the consequences and seeking new ways to curb the trend. (3)
What steps are being taken by the Government & Law Enforcement Agencies to try and prevent auto theft?
Some Provincial Governments have adopted new regulations and programs to help curb the trend of auto theft across Canada. Thomas Carrique, commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police said, “Ontario is a more desirable place to steal cars because it doesn’t have these programs in place to lower the threat of auto theft. In Quebec, theft numbers are much lower thanks to insurance companies in the province providing financial incentives for vehicle owners who place tracking devices in their vehicles…We will be working with the insurance industry to see if we can create similar opportunities here in Ontario”.
The situation in Ontario is especially dire, as Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner notes that in the first three months of 2023, there were 6,000 vehicles stolen across Niagara, Hamilton, Halton, Peel, Toronto, and Durham regions within the province. The Government of Ontario has now committed to spending $51 million over three years in an attempt to help fight auto theft, with measures being taken to dismantle organized auto rings and hold criminals accountable. (4)
It’s not just Ontario and Quebec that are feeling the harmful effects of auto theft. The provincial government in British Columbia has declared April as Auto Crime Prevention Month, a public relations effort to inform vehicle owners on how to keep their cars secure. Their suggestions include:
Park in secure, well lit areas
Lock all doors and windows
Do not leave valuables in the car
Treat keys like cash and never leave them unguarded
Commercial properties, businesses, and auto dealerships are still at risk
In January 2023, a commercial vehicle and two trailers were stolen from a business in Belleville, ON. Like so many auto thefts, they were stolen over the weekend when no staff or security personnel were present. (5)
In May 2023, Waterloo Regional Police arrested a man in connection in a series of vehicle thefts in the Waterloo region of Ontario. The man was responsible for three separate break and enter incidents between January and April 2023, where he damaged the exteriors of the businesses, and then stole company vehicles. Although the vehicles were eventually recovered, it was only after a costly and lengthy Police investigation, all the while, the thefts left businesses crippled in their day-to-day operations. (6)
In June 2023, two burglars in Courtenay, BC rammed a stolen truck into a car dealership and then proceeded to steal another truck worth $50,000. In this brazen theft, they broke in, found the keys to a customer truck in the shop, and then used that truck as a battering ram to break the glass of another area within the business to steal another high-value truck (7). Also in June 2023, a pickup truck stolen from a local business in Norfolk County, ON was found abandoned and burnt beyond repair. The vehicle was stolen overnight, and Police again advised vehicle owners to lock their vehicles and remove all valuables before parking. (8)
These are only some of the recent incidents, and they all have a common thread – the lack of a proactive security solution to help keep the vehicles safe from theft.
How can proactive security help prevent auto theft?
Video Security Units create a powerful wireless security network
Businesses require a proactive security solution that can cover all the angles. Our Video Security Units come equipped with two HD stationary cameras that establish perimeter coverage, and a high-resolution PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera that can zoom in on the action and capture every detail. Our Video Security Units leverage our proprietary cellular LTE+ platform to create a wireless security network that can be easily deployed in key areas around any property.
Live Remote Video Monitoring keeps watch after-hours
Many commercial properties are left unattended overnight and during off hours, with vehicles in plain sight. Our Live Remote Video Monitoring Operators keep watch over these properties after hours when criminals are more likely to strike.
When someone trespasses onto a site, our Remote Monitoring team will activate bright LED strobe lights to warn them that they are on private property, and will issue loud, authoritative voice commands to inform them that they are being monitored, and Police will be dispatched. By utilizing Live Video Monitoring, businesses can keep their vehicle fleets secure – with the peace of mind that their vehicles will be there come Monday morning.
syncroDetect covers sensitive areas
There are many areas within auto dealerships & commercial properties that may need additional protection. While our Video Security Units monitor exterior areas, our wireless intrusion alarm system, syncroDetect, is how we keep other sensitive areas secure, such as vehicle showrooms or indoor parking garages.
Wireless Motion sensors detect movement within a property and issue an alarm to our Monitoring Team when a human is present within its detection range. Door and window contact sensors cover entry and exit points where criminals are most likely to enter. Once alerted, our Remote Monitoring Team will dispatch Law Enforcement to the crime-in-progress.
Artificial Intelligence increases detection accuracy
Leveraging artificial intelligence to accurately detect trespassers and criminals has made our proactive security solutions even more effective. AI is a powerful tool that we have developed which allows our Monitoring Operators to focus on the movement of live humans instead of other types of movement or objects on site – wildlife, inanimate objects, or weather patterns. This results in quicker response time and deterrence of criminal activity – before it happens.
syncroReports provides full insight and transparency
Through our security reporting platform, syncroReports, our clients can easily tap into the camera feeds of their sites and view detailed Log Reports and footage at their convenience. Providing insight into incidents on-site helps businesses to increase operational efficiency and ascertain a clear view of what occurred.
Auto theft is a continuing crisis across Canada, and combatting the problem will require a team effort between Government, Law Enforcement Agencies, businesses, and individuals to curb the trend. By employing proactive security, auto dealerships, commercial properties, and businesses can keep vehicles secure and on the road.
Resources:
- “Auto theft is now a ‘crisis’ in Canada. Here’s what we can do about it”, Eric Stober, Global News, June 15, 2023
- “Vehicle theft at a ‘critical point’ in Canada, with car stolen every six minutes: report”, Hayatullah Amanat, CTV News, June 17, 2023
- “Million-dollar auto theft ring in Ontario results in almost 300 charges by Police”, Jacquelyn LeBel, Global News
- “Ontario spending $51M over 3 years to tackle auto theft”, The Canadian Press, May 3, 2023
- “Transport truck stolen in Belleville, Ont”, Paul Soucy, Global News, January 30, 2023
- “Police make arrest in thefts of vehicles from dealerships in Waterloo region”, Waterloo Region Record, May 9, 2023
- “Burglars use stolen truck to ram into Courtenay dealership and steal a second truck”, Connor McDowell”, Comox Valley Record, June 26, 2023
- “Police blotter: Stolen vehicle found damaged beyond repair”, Vincent Ball, Norfolk & Tillsonburg News, June 13, 2023