BAIT Property Being Placed in Vehicles to Catch Thieves
Friday, February 1, 2013 @ 4:00 AM
Prince George, B.C.- First it was the Bait Cars, vehicles outfitted with video surveillance and tracking equipment all in the name of reducing theft of autos.
That program has been working, and Prince George has been seeing a reduction in the number of vehicles stolen:
|
Year
|
Average # of Vehicles Stolen per Week
|
|
2010
|
8
|
|
2011
|
8
|
|
2012
|
4
|
Prince George RCMP Media Liaison Corporal Craig Douglass says Bait Vehicles have helped reduce the number, as has new technology in newer vehicles which makes it more difficult for thieves to be successful in their attempts to steal vehicles.
Now, there is a focus on “Bait Property” in vehicles.
That’s right, the new tool to catch thieves, has items of desire, such as smart phones and lap tops, placed in vehicles, but, the items have been outfitted with tracking equipment, so when a thief lifts it from a vehicle, police can track that material.
In Prince George, Corporal Douglass says the number of reported cases of theft from vehicles has dropped as well:
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Year
|
Weekly Average # of thefts FROM vehicles
|
|
2010
|
26
|
|
2011
|
20
|
|
2012
|
15.5
|
Corporal Douglass says the number of reported cases of thefts from vehicles usually climbs during the summer months, and can be linked to young people wandering the streets in the late evening.
“The IMPACT program has been wildly successfully over the last ten years, with a 73% 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.
The top ten items stolen from vehicles are:
The top ten items stolen from vehicles are:
smartphones, personal electronics, such as laptops, work tools, credit cards and ID, stereo equipment, cash and change, car parts, garage door openers, sunglasses and keys.
Corporal Douglass says the best way to prevent becoming a victim of theft from your vehicle is to ensure there is nothing of value left in the vehicle and that the doors are locked “Thieves don’t want to take a chance breaking into a vehicle and getting caught if there is no prize for their efforts”.
Comments
Sounds so wonderful. Now if only there was some actual enforcement. The judges should be sending these folks to jail for a few years after they catch em. Real jails. The kind like in Texas where they are warehoused in single extra small rooms for 23 1/2 hours per day. No TV. No contact with other inmates. Lock em in there for the next 28 years or something. Feed em bread 3 times a day. That’s how jails should be run. Rows and rows of small cold soundproofed rooms. This system they have here is a joke. Why even bother arresting them?
Looks like a make work project. What is wrong with those that cant leave their vehile clean and tempting crooks to break into. We have been told many times dont tempt thievs by leaving valuables exposed in your car or truck.
Cheers
Forget the bait, how about a trap with some electrical current?
How about a Bear Trap in a Plastic Bag from a Electronic Store!
To be tempted is no excuse to take my Stuff or to attack me.
mattyc and JohnnyBelt
I totally agree with both of you.Jail should be a punishment, not three square meals a day and a warm bed.
Retired – that attitude is part of our bleeding heart problem in society. Why is it MY fault that I cant leave something in my car? Some dirtbag breaks in and its MY fault?? gimme a break.
I agree with the others – throw little Johnny in the clink for awhile and let mommy and daddy pay for legal fees for thier shortcomings.
interceptor,,I’ll say you need a break your attitude is what the crooks are looking for.
cheers
I get that we have to look after our stuff Retired – my problem is that the victim is always the ’cause’. “Oh you had that laptop stolen from your car? I guess you shouldnt have left it there!”
Yet if some little bastage is caught stealing the laptop he gets sent home to mommy who agrees that I shouldnt have tempted him… WTH was he doing looking in my car anyway? You see how that is different?
I think they would also like a beer too, maybe a joint on the dash.
JohnnyBelt, Outwest: that would be the sensible thing to do. Our world is no longer sensible. Even some sort of a trap that would hold the suspect until police arrived would be a really good idea.
That would give bystanders a chance to deal out some justice while the police took their time getting there. Problem solved.
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