IDLING BYLAW ISN’T NEEDED

It’s a nagging crime problem with a simple solution: don’t leave your unlocked vehicle idling with the keys in the ignition.

Calgary police continue to be bedevilled by car thefts despite such a straightforward remedy. The city has the highest vehicle theft rates in the country, with the total number of stolen vehicles reaching a 10-year high last year. An average of 111 vehicles are stolen in Calgary each week.

The consequences are significant for car owners, police and the public as well. Recovering a stolen vehicle needlessly consumes a lot of police resources, but more worrying still, the automobiles are often used to commit other crimes, such as break-and-enters, robberies and drug transactions.

The culprits also have a tendency to drive with little regard for the safety of others, especially when they’re trying to outrun the law.

“It’s not just an inconvenience to (the owner), it represents a significant public safety risk,” says police Chief Roger Chaffin. “The people who steal these vehicles often are very motivated by mental health or drug issues, and they drive those vehicles in a way that puts everybody at risk.”

The statistics — including the fact between 15 and 20 per cent of all vehicles stolen in the city since last November were left running by their owners — have spurred talk of imposing a bylaw that would punish drivers who invite crime through their carelessness.

“I actually think if it’s not getting through, and we continue to see vehicle owners leaving their vehicles running, and CPS (says) that’s one that they want us to explore as a commission — I would absolutely take that to city council,” police commission chairman Brian Thiessen said this week of a bylaw.

Calgarians don’t need another bylaw — the city has enough regulations controlling everything from pets to panhandling. It’s a sentiment shared by Chaffin, who hopes education will persuade Calgarians to abandon a nasty habit.

“I’d rather work on co-operation first. I don’t want to have to use enforcement to gain compliance,” said the chief.

Chaffin is on solid ground with his thinking. The existence of a bylaw doesn’t guarantee compliance, as people who are kept awake at night by barking dogs can attest.

The key on a cold day is to scrape off the windows before a quick warm up of the engine or to buy an automatic car starter — a convenient gadget that can be had for a couple of hundred dollars.

It might be a bigger challenge to prevent 80 per cent of car thefts, but there’s an easy solution for up to 20 per cent of them.