Prince George has joined the rest of B.C. in reducing auto crime. The numbers for the city show a steady pattern of fewer stolen cars and vehicle break-ins each year, over the past decade.
It was 10 years ago that the BAIT Car Program (vehicles rigged to record thieves and impede their escape) was launched in B.C. but Prince George did not get its first BAIT vehicle until 2006. Nonetheless, a culture of success was seen across the province, according to the statistical reports released this week, and authorities are pleased with Prince George specifically. In this city during 2003 there were 500 vehicles stolen, but in 2011 there were 180.
"Those are big numbers. For the size of Prince George, that is a really big stat and a huge reduction," said ICBC spokesperson Michelle Hargrave.
"We have a number of resources within our policing services that addresses the problem of auto crime, both on the enforcement side and on the education side through community policing programs," said Prince George RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass.
In particular, on the enforcement side, is the Crime Reduction Team which aims its efforts at prolific offenders who break into homes and steal vehicles.
"The key is that it is a group effect," said Hargrave. "Yes, the BAIT vehicles are important but we have volunteers doing public safety education work, we have enforcement from police, and we have the public understanding the importance of this issue by using anti-theft devices and not leaving valuables in view inside their vehicles, so it is a real team effort and in Prince George it is working."
Between 2010 and 2011 alone there was a drop of 18 per cent (220 to 180) in the number of Prince George vehicle thefts.
Thefts of items from vehicles also dropped. ICBC's claims showed their numbers go from 250 in 2010 to 160 in 2011, an improvement of 38 per cent (there were 1,100 claims made in 2003).
According to the RCMP, there were 1,367 case files for vehicle break-ins during 2010 and 1,015 in 2011.
Police refuse to disclose how many of those files came specifically from the BAIT Car Program.
The provincial spokesperson for the initiative, Sgt. Gord Alias, told The Citizen on Tuesday that, "We have never released BAIT Car statistics of any kind, and the reason the program is so successful, is fear of the unknown. Thieves never know when they break into a vehicle or attempt to steal a boat or a quad or a snowmobile if they are about to face the police."
Prince George MLA Shirley Bond, the province's Solicitor General, said the 10th anniversary of the BAIT Car Program is reason to celebrate.
"It's the most successful program of its kind in North America and B.C. has become a leader in dramatically reducing auto crime over the past 10 years," Bond said.
"In 2011, auto crime dropped by 20 per cent and since 2003, auto crime in British Columbia has dropped by 71 per cent. Our BAIT fleet includes cars, snowmobiles, boats, trailers and yesterday I announced that commercial vehicles would be added this year."
