F-series trucks hot commodity for thieves

Police advise vehicle owners to remove their valuables and keep doors locked

Regina police are flagging the theft of Ford F-series trucks to foil future losses.

The F-150, F-250 and F-350 series trucks are hot commodities that accounted for 41 per cent of stolen vehicles in Regina in the past week and 16 per cent of stolen vehicles between May 9 and Aug. 8.

“In the past week, 27 vehicles of all types were stolen in Regina and, of those, 11 were Ford F-series trucks,” said Regina Police Service spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich.

The rising trend has prompted police to remind Ford truck owners to lock their vehicles and be on the lookout for suspicious activity.

In many cases, the stolen truck was left unlocked or keys were left inside the vehicle.

Vehicle owners may choose to change their habits and consider adding extra security measures.

The easiest thing to do is lock vehicles and remove valuables, including vehicle keys. Other deterrents include parking in a well-lit doorway or a locked garage and purchasing anti-theft products, which range from steeringwheel locking devices to vehicle alarm systems or dash-cams.

A highly motivated thief might find a way to overcome crimeprevention measures, but in many cases, presenting a deterrent causes an auto thief to move on and look for an easier target.

Police can’t point to a specific group responsible for the truck thefts.

“But it doesn’t seem as though these are singular events,” Popowich said.

“I would say that you have people who have had some success with this, have become quite adept at it, and until they’re interrupted, they’re not only committing other crimes, like robberies and (break and enters) and thefts, but dangerous drives and evade police. We definitely want to find those responsible, but prevent the theft from happening at all.”

The rise in truck thefts doesn’t appear to be following the trend of the 1990s, when youths targeted Oldsmobiles and stole them for joyrides.

“It’s not the volume that was happening back then,” Popowich said. “Some of these vehicles are stolen and used in the commission of other offences. It’s not as innocuous as joyriding.”

Auto thefts peaked in 2001, when 3,844 vehicles were stolen, she said.

“By the end of 2014, we had that down to 827 vehicles stolen that year and then it started to creep up,” Popowich said.

Members of the RPS stolen auto section work hard to apprehend and charge offenders.

However, successfully charging and prosecuting offenders doesn’t remove the cost or inconvenience to the victim, and the theft results in higher insurance costs for all vehicle owners.

Concerned and observant residents can help prevent or interrupt vehicle theft. If you see something suspicious in your neighbourhood, call the RPS at 306-777-6500. If you see a crime in progress, call 911. pcowan@postmedia.com

We definitely want to find those responsible, but prevent the theft from happening at all.