Auto thefts hit six-year high in Edmonton

Edmonton police working together to deal with issue

A small group of organized criminals is being blamed for the escalation of vehiclerelated crime numbers in Edmonton, with theft of and from vehicles now at a sixyear high.

Last year, police responded to 15,812 incidents, a 16 per cent increase from 2015 levels, and up more than 67 per cent from 2012, which saw the lowest levels in recent times.

Police data released to the Edmonton Police Commission last week showed this type of crime peaked in 2007 at about 20,000 incidents.

In response, the Edmonton Police Service is employing more education campaigns targeted at drivers and, in the west division, a bait vehicle was deployed in three communities.

If the figures are anything to go by, it doesn’t appear to be working.

Chief Rod Knecht said police were bringing together officers from different divisions to form a team to combat the rise in vehicle crimes and they continue to work closely with the province’s Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team to try to curb the incidents.

“We know it’s a small group of people, quite frankly, that are stealing vehicles,” Knecht said.

He said police were aware some luxury vehicles pinched are “being moved out of the country.”

“At the lower end, they are being chopped up and being used for parts and scrap,” he said. “There’s a market for it and there’s a small group of organized criminals that are doing it, and it is our job to focus on those individuals and deal with them accordingly.”

As for the theft from vehicles, Knecht said a large portion of those offences were people stealing licence plates and putting them on other vehicles being used in crimes.

According to the EPS website, the most popular stolen vehicles are Dodge Caravans, Plymouth Voyagers, Ford Escorts, Saturns, Hondas and larger Ford trucks like the F250 and F350.