Vehicle theft on the rise in Prince George

Prince George

2023-05-19 07:23 PDT

In the last two weeks, Prince George RCMP has seen a sudden rise in reported auto theft and is reaching out to the community with some tips on keeping your vehicle safe this summer.

So far in the first two weeks of May we have seen more than a 100% increase in reported vehicle thefts. We have discussed this throughout our detachment and will be increasing enforcement efforts in the areas where we are seeing the most incidents of vehicle theft, with the goal of catching those committing these crimes, states Cpl. Jennifer Cooper, Media Relations Officer for the Prince George RCMP.

Investigators have noted that the most common element between the thefts was the age of the vehicles involved, with many of them being early 2000 model vehicles. Another commonality was drivers leaving their keys inside the vehicle.

Photo of a steering wheel lock on a steering wheel.

Here are some tips on keeping your vehicle safe this summer:

An unsecured vehicle is an easy target for auto thieves, said Tracey Hoffman, local ICBC Road Safety Coordinator. Always lock your doors and use an immobilizer or steering wheel lock to reduce your risk. Don’t forget to remove any valuables including smartphones, laptops, backpacks and packages when parking your vehicle.

Did you know that Prince George RCMP has Online Crime Reporting? The Online Crime Reporting tool is available to report crimes that meet certain criteria.

You can also view an interactive Crime Map that provides information about recent and historical property crime incidents by visiting princegeorge.ca/crime-map.
 

 

Released by

Cpl. Jennifer Cooper

Communications NCO / Media Relations Officer
Prince George RCMP
455 Victoria Street, Prince George, BC, V2L 0B7
Office: 250-561-3300

Email: pg_media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Website: princegeorge.rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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