While Canada's auto theft rate for private passenger vehicles dropped by almost 19% in 2024 compared to the previous year, the Équité Association notes that the number of stolen vehicles remains 'unreasonably' high. Alberta is a particular area of concern as thieves shift their focus from older trucks to newer, higher-value vehicles likely stolen for export.
OTTAWA — Canada 's auto theft rate for private passenger vehicles dropped by almost 19 per cent in 2024 compared to the previous year — but the non-profit that collected the data says the number of stolen vehicles is still"unreasonably" high.
Bryan Gast, Équité Association's vice president of investigative services, said that Alberta now has the highest per capita vehicle theft rate — and cases of criminals in that province registering stolen vehicles with phoney vehicle identification numbers, a practice known as re-VINing, are"surging."
The report blames false VIN registrations for driving down the recovery rate of stolen vehicles in Alberta, from 87 and 85 per cent in 2022 and 2023, respectively, to 77 per cent in 2024. When the federal government launched its national auto theft action plan last May, much of its focus was on Ontario and Quebec.
He noted that tactics to frustrate the use of false VIN numbers are"definitely working better" in Ontario.
AUTO THEFT ALBERTA CANADA EXPORT ORGANIZED CRIME
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