Stolen vehicle incidents dropping, but Alberta still leads the country

Stolen vehicle reports are dropping in Alberta, new data indicates, but the province continues to lead the country in incidents.

The data, produced by HelloSafe, looked at the number of vehicle theft claims made by policy holders in 2021 in each province.

The company, which provides comparison data for customers shopping for insurance and personal financial products, found while the number of incidents is declining, Alberta is still "the most negatively affected province in Canada."

It said Alberta has a ratio of 11.9 vehicle thefts per 10,000 inhabitants in 2021, ahead of Ontario (9.8), Quebec (8.6) and the Atlantic provinces (4.5).

In 2021, a little more than 5,000 vehicle thefts were reported, but there were 5,725 in 2020, HelloSafe said.

However, there is a little bit of good news, too – Alberta was the only province in the report that showed a decline.

The most common vehicles targeted by thieves in Alberta are still pickup trucks, which represent approximately 35.4 per cent of thefts. SUVS are the second most stolen vehicles, but HelloSafe suggests that model could become the most stolen in the coming years.

Bryan Gast, vice-president of investigative services with Équité Association, the source HelloSafe used for the report, says auto theft costs Canadians millions each year.

"Canada has become a source nation for the theft and exportation of high-value vehicles. Vehicles across the country are being stolen in greater volume for export internationally by organized crime networks," Gast said in a release.

The Calgary Police Service, in response to an inquiry from CTV News, said it is seeing a similar trend as outlined in the report.

"In January 2023, vehicle thefts were 22 per cent lower than average, and 19 per cent lower than in January 2022," a spokesperson said in an email.

CPS advises residents to always take precautions with their vehicles and never leave them running and unattended during the winter months.

These "warm-up thefts" are easy pickings for criminals, police say.

"Vehicles that are left running with the keys inside can be gone in a matter of seconds," said Acting Sgt. Chris Terry with the CPS crime prevention team.

"These crimes can happen anywhere, even if you believe you are in a safe area, and even if your vehicle stays in your line of sight while you’re inside your house or a store."

Officials suggest owners should install remote starters or simply remain with their vehicles while they warm up.

In addition, authorities ask residents to consider installing steering wheel locks and never leave valuables, including identification and bank cards, inside their vehicles while they are parked.

Residents can also report any suspicious activity to police by calling the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234.