As we have entered the new year, many parts of the country are in a deep freeze but the surge of catalytic converter thefts has not cooled off – with thieves becoming more brazen and destructive in their efforts to obtain them. As the threat has been heating up since the beginning of 2023, what measures can be taken to prevent these destructive thefts?
A meteoric rise in catalytic converter thefts have been reported in 2023.
Catalytic converters are a component of our vehicles exhaust systems, and contain high-value precious metals (including platinum, palladium, & rhodium). Why are they so sought after for thieves? The resale value of the aforementioned metals has skyrocketed in the past few years, combined with the fact that they can be cut from the underside of a vehicle in minutes make for an insatiable opportunity.
Police Forces in British Columbia have recently warned the public of the sharp increase in these thefts since the beginning of the year, with even small communities facing the challenges associated with these crimes. North Saanich RCMP had put out a warning to the public of the meteoric rise in occurrences – reporting a stark increase in the past 3 weeks (1), and in Delta, local police reported 33 catalytic converters were stolen within the first 11 days of the year. (2)
It has been reported that claims associated with catalytic converter thefts to ICBC (Insurance Corporation of British Columbia) alone has surged from $350,000 in 2017 to over $4 million in 2021 – and the number of reports skyrocketed more than 2000% over that same period (3). These staggering statistics show the pattern and problem British Columbia has been facing, and other provinces across the country are showing similar trends.
Businesses and communities are feeling the impact of these crimes.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and its community are certainly feeling the impact of these destructive crimes. Four Parks Maintenance vehicles suffered damage and theft of these components, over the weekend of January 14th-16th while they were parked at a fenced-in facility in Penticton, British Columbia. Repairs are expected to take several weeks in order for them to be fully operational, and the surrounding community will feel the impact of these crimes as the vehicles are responsible for snow removal in parking lots, along pathways, and pedestrian corridors in the region. (4)
Saint-Léonard RCMP have requested assistance from the public in identifying 2 people after a catalytic converter was stolen from a business along Route 108, on Friday January 13th, in Saint-André, New Brunswick. The suspects had arrived on a blue all-terrain vehicle, stealing the exhaust component from a Ford pickup truck located on the business property. (5)
On the same day, Wellington County OPP were notified of several work trucks flipped on their side at a gravel pit in Puslinch, Ontario. Upon investigation, it was discovered that (at some point overnight) a piece of on-site machinery was used to turn 7 vehicles onto their side to make it easier to remove the catalytic converters from the exhaust systems (6). On January 6th, Orillia OPP reported a similar incident, where several work trucks were flipped to steal these exhaust components at an aggregates quarry in the region. (7)
These crimes highlight the lengths criminals are willing to go to access these components: the damage associated with the theft extends far beyond the exhaust system as the recovery & repair far supersedes the cost of the catalytic converters.
What has been done in our communities to try to reduce these crimes?
To attempt to curtail the allure of these exhaust components, Municipal & Provincial Governments alongside local Police forces have worked to develop mitigation programs. For instance, the Calgary Police Service has recently partnered with a national tire shop to attempt to curb these thefts within the city by engraving the vehicle identification number (VIN) onto the catalytic converter – with hopes that the marking will allow the part to be tracked to its rightful owner if it is stolen & sold for scrap. This program was developed after a surge in theft reports in 2022, with 3,174 reports over the course of the year; a 103% increase from 2021. (8) The aforementioned program mirrors a similar initiative launched in Winnipeg, Manitoba where monetary grants were provided to Winnipeg Crime Stoppers & Steinbach RCMP to engrave catalytic converters with the vehicles’ VIN number. (9)
Prevention should always be the primary focus.
As the cost of catalytic converter theft spans further than the replacement & repair of this component, prevention is the best course of action to mitigate the costs associated with vehicle & property damage. Our proactive video monitoring service is an effective security measure that is proven to prevent theft and crime. By utilizing high-resolution security cameras, our Video Monitoring Operators surveil the perimeter of your site, and an additional camera(s) can be installed to directly monitor your business’ vehicle fleet to provide optimal protection against these crimes.
When a potential catalytic converter thief is detected, our Operators will utilize our various security peripherals to deter the suspect. Voice commands are issued as an auditory deterrence, alerting the suspect that they are being monitored, and any illegal activity is recorded and will be immediately reported to Police. Our highly visible blue LED strobe light is also used to deter the suspect by illuminating the area, bringing ‘unwanted’ attention to where they are trespassing.
If the suspect continues forward, our operators will immediately dispatch local law enforcement, and provide them with key details such as suspect description, business address, and the location of the vehicle being targeted. While the Police are en route, our Operators continue to monitor the incident with our Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras, gathering as many details as possible to assist in the apprehension of the suspect, and as evidence to be used in any subsequent court proceedings.
Once the threat is contained, our Operators compile all of the information & footage gathered throughout the incident in an in-depth report that is accessible through our security information reporting platform, syncroReports.
Programs developed, which have increased the ability for Police to track catalytic converters & enforce penalties, have certainly helped curb the rise in these crimes where they have been implemented. However, preventing these crimes before they occur should always be a primary focus, & deploying a proactive security strategy can ultimately prevent damage, repairs, and the costs & inconvenience associated with business disruption.
Resources:
- “Accused Victoria catalytic converter thieves charged as police renew warning”, Simon Little, Global News, January 13, 2023
- “Police in B.C. warn catalytic converter thefts on the rise”, Darrian Matassa-Fung & Aaron McArthur, Global News, January 12, 2023
- “Police in B.C. warn catalytic converter thefts on the rise”, Darrian Matassa-Fung & Aaron McArthur, Global News, January 12, 2023
- “Catalytic converters swiped from South Okanagan parks office”, Kathy Michaels, Global News, January 18, 2023
- “RCMP releases images of suspects, ATV after catalytic converter stolen from N.B. business”, Leigha Kaiser, CTV News Atlantic, January 16, 2023
- “Thieves flip over trucks, steal catalytic converters at Puslinch gravel pit: OPP”, Ken Hashizume, CJOY, January 13, 2023
- “Industrial machinery, other vehicles severely damaged as catalytic converters stolen at quarry near Orillia: OPP”, Chris Simon, Orillia Today, January 7, 2023
- “Calgary police partner with Kal Tire to engrave catalytic converters”, Paula Tran, QR Calgary, January 11, 2023
- “Manitoba’s Scrap Metal Act aims to combat catalytic converter and scrap metal theft”, Recycling Product News, July 20, 2022