Latest news with #crime prevention
CTV News
a day ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Car theft numbers are dropping, but will your insurance rates?
Experts say car thieves are employing new tactics as awareness and enforcement has resulted in a drop in auto thefts in 2025. John Vennavally-Rao reports. Experts say car thieves are employing new tactics as awareness and enforcement has resulted in a drop in auto thefts in 2025. John Vennavally-Rao reports. Car thefts are down dramatically across Canada this year, but don't expect your auto insurance bill to get any cheaper. New data shows vehicle thefts dropped 19 per cent nationally in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period last year. Ontario saw the biggest decline at 26 per cent. But insurance industry officials say the improvement in theft rates won't necessarily translate to lower premiums for drivers anytime soon. 'It's encouraging to see some small steps in the right direction,' Hanna Beydoun, director of auto policy at the Insurance Bureau of Canada, told CTV News. 'But the problem remains significantly above historical levels, and it's far from the only factor that contributes to the cost that drivers pay for auto insurance.' According to a new report from Equate Association, 23,000 personal cars and trucks were stolen in the first half of this year, which is down substantially from the 34,000 by July of 2023. While the numbers represent progress, they come after a decade of rising theft rates. The Insurance Bureau of Canada says over the last 10 years, claims are up more than 115 per cent and auto theft costs have skyrocketed 371 per cent. 'One year is great, it's a great indication of where trends might go,' Beydoun said. 'But there's still lots more work that remains to be done to get us out of this auto theft crisis.' Why premiums keep rising Beyond theft, Beydoun says several factors are driving up insurance costs across the country, including repair costs having jumped 22 per cent since the pandemic began, noting that tariffs on vehicle parts are making replacements more expensive. She also says Alberta has seen collision-related lawsuits rise significantly. 'Unless all the cost drivers are completely pulled out of the system, there's going to be continued upward pressure on auto insurance premiums across the country,' Beydoun said. For Ryan Tostik of Milton, Ont., the theft statistics aren't just numbers. They represent a devastating personal loss. His beloved 2004 Chevy Silverado was stolen from an auto repair shop on July 18. Tostik had spent six years and a lot of money restoring the truck, including a fresh paint job and new engine. 'It's all a big shock, to be honest. I kind of feel violated,' he said. 'Considering how much money that I put into it, and it was considered almost finished.' Tostik says to him, the truck was worth between $50,000 and $60,000, and he can't believe it was gone 'within minutes.' He says the response from police was discouraging. 'They just say it's an everyday occurrence. So, more or less, they tell me you're on your own,' he said. 'Otherwise, call your insurance company.' Now Tostik is hoping his insurer will recognize the truck's value, and is armed with receipts for all the restoration work. 'I never had anything stolen in my life. So it's a big shock and a gut-wrenching feeling in the stomach,' he said. 'I'd like to have the vehicle back. I'm not hopeful, but I'm trying to be hopeful.' Brian Gast, national vice-president of Investigative Services at Equite Association, credits the decline in thefts to increased public awareness and a collaborate effort between various levels of government and law enforcement agencies. 'I do caution that even though the numbers are going down, they're still high,' he said. 'It doesn't mean that we need to take our foot off the gas.' Gast says auto theft remains a major funding source for organized crime and criminals are adapting. Gast says investigators are seeing more 'chop shops,' where stolen vehicles are dismantled and sold for parts, and they're also replacing the vehicle identification number on stolen vehicles. How to protect yourself Gast has a few recommendations when it comes to vehicle security: Park in a garage or well-lit area, when possible Keep windows up and doors locked Never leave key fobs inside the vehicle Consider aftermarket tracking devices Use visible deterrents like steering wheel locks 'You don't have to do them all, but we call it a layered approach,' Gast said.
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Man arrested after dramatic hour-long car chase across Kota Samarahan and Kuching
KOTA SAMARAHAN, July 29 — Police arrested a 31-year-old man after a nearly hour-long car chase that began in Kota Samarahan and ended at Lorong 6, Stampin Tengah in Kuching early this morning. Kota Samarahan police chief Supt Damataries Lautin said the incident began at around 2.50am, when a team from Kota Samarahan police station together with a mobile patrol vehicle (MPV) unit was conducting a crime prevention patrol behind a hotel near Aiman Mall. 'Our officers spotted a suspicious-looking hatchback and when the team attempted to carry out a check, the driver sped off and refused to cooperate despite being ordered to stop via loudspeaker,' he said in a statement. Damataries said the suspect's vehicle was later seen speeding towards Kampung Sindang before doubling back to the Aiman Mall area and then heading towards the administrative zone of the Kuching district police headquarters. In his attempt to escape, the suspect's vehicle collided with a police pickup truck, damaging its rear door. A screengrab from the viral video shows the dramatic chase. Police then sought assistance from the Kuching District MPV unit, City Patrol Unit, and Sentral 10 to block the suspect's route. 'The suspect eventually stopped his vehicle at Lorong 6, Stampin Tengah and attempted to flee into nearby bushes before being successfully apprehended,' Damataries said. A body search of the suspect revealed no prohibited items and checks on the vehicle's registration number confirmed it had not been reported stolen. Police also seized the car driven by the suspect as evidence. Damataries revealed the man has several prior criminal records related to housebreaking and drug offences in Simunjan. 'The suspect was taken to Kota Samarahan police station for further investigation under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant in the discharge of their duties. 'During the arrest, the suspect acted aggressively, prompting our officers to use minimal force. No injuries were reported,' he added. Police have also advised the public not to speculate on the case and to allow the authorities to conduct their investigation fairly and transparently. A video of the dramatic chase has gone viral on social media. — The Borneo Post
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Auto theft sees sharp drop in first half of 2025, industry association says
OTTAWA — The pace of auto theft is dropping in Canada thanks to collective efforts to crack down on thieves, says an industry group focused on insurance fraud and crime. Équité Association said in a report released Monday that the number of vehicles reported stolen nationally dropped 19.1 per cent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Just over 23,000 vehicles were reported stolen in the first six months of the year in Canada, the report said. The decline is particularly stark in Ontario and Quebec, which saw annual drops of 25.9 per cent and 22.2 per cent, respectively. The year-over-year drops are more modest in Atlantic Canada and Western Canada at roughly nine per cent. Alberta saw a decline of 12.5 per cent. Bryan Gast, national vice-president of investigative services at Équité Association, credits greater public awareness of the threat and efforts by various levels of government and law enforcement agencies to collectively tackle the problem. "It's really definitely a collaborative effort," he said. Gast said law enforcement agencies in Ontario and Quebec in particular have stepped up enforcement with police units dedicated to vehicle theft. So far this year, residents of Ontario and Quebec have reported 9,600 and 3,889 vehicle thefts respectively — high numbers that Gast attributed to the provinces' larger populations and proximity to the Port of Montreal. With 4,411 vehicles reported stolen over the first half of 2025, Gast said Alberta continues to lead the country in auto theft on a per-capita basis. Statistics Canada data released earlier this week confirms national progress on the file. The agency reported a 17 per cent annual drop in the rate of police-reported motor vehicle thefts, down to 239 incidents per 100,000 people last year. In 2023, the number of auto thefts had increased 40 per cent over the historic low recorded in 2020, StatCan said. That trend came to a head last year when the federal government convened a summit in February to address car thefts. Ottawa followed up by giving the Canada Border Services Agency millions of dollars in new funding to track vehicles leaving through the country's ports, after having given Ontario $121 million in January of that year to tackle gang crime and auto thefts. Gast said some of the progress can likely be attributed to Canadians' heightened awareness of the issue. "Now I think you can talk to anybody and, if their car hasn't been stolen, they know somebody's car that has been stolen," he said. "I think they are taking those precautions and some of those steps to make their vehicle less of a target." Vehicle recovery rates also rose 3.4 percentage points year over year to 56.5 per cent in the first half of 2025, Équité Association said. The organization said that was nearing the "pre-crisis" level of 57.2 per cent recorded in 2021. Despite progress on vehicle theft, the Insurance Bureau of Canada warned it's still a "significant concern" and "far from the only factor contributing to rising auto insurance costs." "A combination of inflation, tariffs, rising repair and vehicle replacement costs, legal pressures, and regulatory challenges are driving rates up across the country," the bureau said in a media statement. Tariffs on vehicle parts are driving up the costs of repairs and replacement cars, the bureau noted. Gast said that while it's not clear yet, tariffs might be playing a role in the increase Équité Association is seeing in domestic chop shops and vehicle parts being sent overseas. He said that whenever there's a disruption to supply chains — like the one that made semiconductor inputs a hot commodity during the COVID-19 pandemic — the criminal element tends to adapt to meet that demand. While he's encouraged by the progress Canada has posted to date in tamping down auto theft, he said now is not the time to let up. "Don't consider the problem solved," he said. "To keep it manageable and the numbers trending in the right direction, I think we still need to focus on it." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025. Craig Lord, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
2 days ago
- Automotive
- CBC
Cases of auto theft down across Canada in first half of 2025, report shows
Social Sharing A new report has found auto theft trends are down 19 per cent across Canada in the first half of this year, compared to the same time period in 2024. But the authors of the report say that vigilance is still needed to keep numbers coming down. It's an "optimistic trend" seen in provinces across the country, says the report by Équité Association, an organization that works to stop crime on behalf of the Canadian property and casualty insurance industry, The largest drops were seen in Ontario at 25.9 per cent and Quebec at 22 per cent, said the report. These provinces experienced the highest rate of theft from 2021 to 2023, when Équité said Canada was facing a "national crisis" in car theft. "This encouraging trend in decreasing auto theft in the most affected provinces demonstrates the success of collective investments, policies and awareness campaigns," the report says. While the drop in auto theft is encouraging, Bryan Gast, vice president of investigative services at Équité Association, said it's still important for vehicle owners to stay alert and for different levels of government to continue collaborations against auto theft. "This is not a victimless crime. It's not just a property crime. The proceeds of these stolen vehicles are funding organized crime and it is affecting the communities in which we live," he said. The report also found that the national rate of recovery for stolen vehicles increased to 56 per cent in the first half of this year, up from 53 per cent for the same time period in 2024. Gast says auto theft in Canada began to spike during the COVID-19 pandemic when a supply chain issue with cars gave organized crime an opportunity to make money. The majority of the cars that are stolen are personal passenger vehicles, such as pickup trucks, sedans and SUVs, he says. He credits the drop in theft and the increase in recoveries to collaboration across different levels of government and with agencies in other provinces. That work included the creation of Ontario's auto theft team to identify crime hotspots, provincial Ministries of Transportation working to close gaps in vehicle registration processes and over $200 million in federal funding, said the report. "I've never seen this collaboration, even in my 30 years of policing, work together. This is very large scale [with] multiple police services," Gast said. "Phenomenal results and I think it's really showing." He also said there's been an increased emphasis to crack down on international organized crime related to auto theft in Canada. Information on any car that is stolen in Canada is sent to the Canadian Police Information Centre, which then shares that information with Interpol, Gast said. "What used to go under the radar once it goes international, now it shows it's stolen. And it affects the criminal's supply and demand," he said. WATCH | A 2024 report looks at what cars are targetted by auto theft criminals: Fighting auto theft in Canada will take more work, report finds 8 months ago Data shows drops in auto theft across the GTA Stephanie Sayer with Toronto Police Services says the city has seen a 34 per cent drop in auto theft cases so far this year, compared to the same period in 2024. "That's the result of sustained, focused efforts both within our Service and in collaboration with our policing partners across the GTA," she said. A news release from the York Regional Police said that as of June 25, they've also seen a 37 per cent decline in auto thefts so far this year compared to the same period last year. Gast says it's important for officials and car owners to be aware of the new technologies criminals could use to steal a car. He recommends people with cars always report suspicious activity, park in a garage space if possible and to always keep windows and doors locked. Drivers can also use a steering wheel lock, a pedal lock, a tracking device or an aftermarket immobilizer to protect from reprogramming attacks, Gast said. "You don't have to do them all. You don't have to build your vehicle into Fort Knox. But if you could do a few layers, just to make it add more time for the criminal to steal your vehicle," he said.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
‘Costing every Manitoban': Stolen vehicles costing MPI tens of millions every year
Tara Seel from Manitoba Public Insurance shares how vehicle theft is costing Manitobans millions—and what you can do to prevent it.
