Thieves get early Christmas gifts from people who leave cars running
“Just a few seconds” is more than enough time for car thieves to make their move.
As the season’s first snowstorm blankets Calgary, police are seeing a common theme among the rash of stolen car and truck reports flooding city police stations: “keys left in vehicle.”
“The reality is that it takes less than 30 seconds to steal your car,” said Staff Sgt. Jodi Gach, who oversees the city’s auto theft investigators.
“Any amount of time that your car is left running is too long.”
Since Wednesday, city car thieves have made off with 11 vehicles left running by their owners with the keys inside.
Of those, seven were stolen in a two-hour stretch on Friday alone.
With the cold weather officially arriving in Calgary, motorists are once again warming up their cars with the keys inside, or letting their vehicles run while dashing into the store.
Both of those situations, police say, is little better than handing thieves your property on a silver platter.
“Most victims we talk to indicate they can’t believe it happened to them, that they only left their car running for a second,” she said.
“You’re providing a chance for an opportunist criminal to steal your car and put innocent people at risk.”
Far from a mere property crime, auto theft is part of a much broader web of criminal behaviour.
Police find that stolen cars are often used by city criminals to facilitate their misdeeds — be they an armed robber driving to his next targets, or a burglar on their latest break-and-enter spree.
Enormous amounts of manpower go into stolen car investigations, not only by front line officers, but those working behind the scenes.
Over the summer, the Calgary Police Service created a new unit — the Auto Theft Resource Team — to stem the tide of Calgary’s growing problem.
Often, the stolen cars are driven with little regard for other motorists or pedestrians — especially if thieves suspect police are around.
Instances of dangerous driving by car thieves are common in Cal- gary, putting both lives and property at risk.
“It’s not merely about the inconvenience or the cost to insurance companies,” Gach said.
“Every day, I see the complete disregard for public safety these offenders have.”
Despite the risks and frequent warnings, continued reports of vehicles stolen while left running suggests people just aren’t getting the message.
“We all own an important part of preventing stolen vehicles and the crime associated with them,” Gach said.
“Please help us stop the trend.”