Car owners across the province are being warned to limit the chances of auto theft through an initiative.
The Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT) is partnering with the BC Government and ICBC for auto crime enforcement month, a campaign to get people to protect themselves and their vehicles from crimes.
Acting Inspector of IMPACT Eugene Lum said high-tech auto theft prevention will be emphasized this year to help reduce the number of stolen vehicles.
“As we continue to see criminals develop more and more sophisticated methods of committing auto crime, we want to arm the public with the tools they need to curtail it.”
This year’s theme is ‘RETHINK’ standing for:
R – Remove valuables
E – Eliminate opportunities for thieves
T – Track your car with GPS technology
H – Hide your key signal
I – Invest in anti-theft devices
N – Never idle unattended
K – Keep track of your keys
The goal of the theme is for vehicle owners to not get complacent and empower owners and drivers with knowledge to better protect themselves from auto crimes.
Auto theft had its lowest number of cases across the province last year, down nearly seven per cent since tracking started in 2015.
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Gary Begg said it’s encouraging that auto theft rates continue to trend downwards.
“I want to thank the IMPACT team and ICBC for their ongoing efforts to raise awareness and promote strategies that help protect vehicle owners across British Columbia.
IMPACT encourages all vehicle owners to make sure vehicles are locked even after locking with a fob, install an after-market anti-theft device, hide an AirTag or GPS tracker in your vehicle, and keep your fob secured when you are at home.
– with files from My Cowichan Valley Now staff
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