Bait car program expanding

Ragnar Haagen - Feb 1, 2013 / 8:56 am | Story: 86775

Photo: CTV

The RCMP demonstrates it's new bait car technology with a staged break-in video. Jan. 31, 2013. (Handout)

The Bait Car program, run by the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT), is recognized as the largest of its kind in the world; it has been such a success that police in BC now want to expand the program one step further – with Bait property.

Merchandise, ranging from everyday items like toolboxes or gym bags may now contain a tracking device that can be monitored by police.

“The IMPACT program has been wildly successfully over the last ten years, with a 73 per cent reduction in auto theft since the introduction of BAIT cars. I am very proud of the dedicated team of officers and the work they do. I am confident that the BAIT property program will be equally as successful as our BAIT vehicle program,” said Shirley Bond, Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

February is Auto Crime Enforcement month, and IMPACT is celebrating by releasing its list of top ten car thieves – that list will now include thieves who have stolen from vehicles.

“Thieves already know, that if they steal a bait car, they’ll go to jail,” stated RCMP Inspector Gary Shinkaruk, of the integrated IMPACT team.

“With the kind of evidence we're able to put before judges, the program has been tremendously successful at putting car thieves behind bars. But there’s a new message we need to get out to thieves now – steal from a bait car, go to jail.”

The shift in focus from IMPACT comes as police analyzed statistics from 2012. In the last four months of the year, police across BC identified a slight increase in thefts from vehicles compared to previous years.

IMPACT is also releasing the list of top ten items stolen from vehicles, which include: