The federal government says more intelligence sharing among police forces and a working group involving all levels of government are among the measures it's implementing as part of a national strategy to combat auto theft.
Several of the measures touted in the new strategy, such as $28 million meant to help prevent cars from being shipped abroad and the introduction of new offences to the country's Criminal Code, were announced earlier in this year's federal budget.
A number of senior cabinet ministers, including Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, unveiled the strategy May 20 in Brampton, Ont., several months after the feds convened a summit to address the problem.
“As was highlighted during the National Summit to Combat Auto Theft in February, auto theft is a complex issue that requires everybody to come to the table with solutions,” said LeBlanc. “The National Action Plan we’re releasing today sends a clear message – our government, as well as our national law enforcement agencies, will use all tools at their disposal to crack down on auto theft.”
Only days before the announcement, the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) released new data showing auto theft claims topping $1 billion for the second year in a row.
In 2023, the cost of insurance claims for replacing stolen vehicles in Canada skyrocketed to a record-breaking $1.5 billion, according to IBC data. That’s up from an estimated $1.2 billion in 2022. Nationally, auto theft claims costs increased 254% between 2018 and 2023.
The latest numbers show the depth of the issue affecting Canadians as well as the heavy burden on law enforcement and courtroom personnel to address these crimes, says Liam McGuinty, IBC’s vice president of strategy.
“Canada’s auto theft crisis is also placing pressure on drivers’ insurance premiums — as auto theft continues to increase, so do the associated costs,” McGuinty said. “Auto theft is not a victimless crime.”
The federal government’s action plan outlines more than 17 detailed recommendations in three key areas:
1) Intelligence or Information-Sharing
Under the lead of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), the government proposes to “enhance customs information and intelligence sharing to support municipal and provincial police forces.” Also, it will “engage all partners in the export trade, such as port authorities, shipping lines and rail operators, to develop actionable intelligence on stolen vehicles.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) plans to “deliver Canadian Police College courses on auto theft investigative techniques, to municipal, provincial and federal levels of law enforcement.”
Insurance participants at the national summit in February indicated a dedicated national office for auto theft was a discussion point.
Along these lines, the federal plan includes establishing “a National Intergovernmental Working Group on Auto Theft, led by Public Safety Canada, with federal, provincial, and territorial governments to coordinate actions, monitor progress, and explore new initiatives that may be undertaken at all levels for a multi-faceted approach to combatting auto theft.”
On the financial side, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) will take measures leading to “…useful financial intelligence to address money laundering and proceeds of crime linked to auto-theft.”
Meanwhile, Transport Canada will help provinces and territories take steps to prevent ‘re-vinning,’ or other uses of fraudulent vehicle registrations to re-sell stolen vehicles. “This could include investments to enable comprehensive data sharing across jurisdictions through the existing Interprovincial Record Exchange (IRE),” the action plan states.
- Intervention
The action plan calls for “enhance(d) collaboration with port authorities, rail and shipping partners to expand export cargo container examinations, including the deployment of scanning and detection technology in new locations (e.g., rail yards).”
Advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence will be used to better target containers with suspected stolen vehicles, the plan states.
And $28 million will be invested in part to hire “new frontline Border Service Officers and deploying them to ports, railyards and intermodal hubs to expand examination capacity in response to intelligence developed by the CBSA and law enforcement.”
The plan recognizes that organized crime is relying on youth to steal cars. To this end, the government says it will do two things:
- “Through the National Crime Prevention Strategy, continue investing $51 million per year in community-based prevention initiatives for youth-at-risk for future involvement in the criminal justice system, including to prevent at-risk youth from joining gangs.”
- Offer “new project funding under the Youth Gang Prevention Fund for community-based initiatives that prevent at-risk youth form joining gangs and divert them from future involvement in criminal and anti-social activities, such as youth delinquency, auto theft, substance use and gun violence.”
- Legislation, regulations, and governance
Canada’s Department of Justice will look to create “new criminal offences related to auto theft involving the use of violence or links to organized crime.” It will also make “possession or distribution of an electronic or digital device for the purposes of committing auto theft” illegal.
New regulations would target criminal organizations that exploit youth to carry out auto theft. For example, “a new aggravating factor at sentencing” would be “if an offender involved a young person in committing an offence under the Criminal Code.”
The feds also propose to “amend the Radiocommunication Act to regulate the sale, distribution, and importation of radio devices used for auto theft.”
IBC and Équité Association welcomed the federal plan.
Équité, which has reported that a vehicle is stolen every five minutes in Canada, expressed gratitude towards Public Safety Canada. Terri O’Brien, president and chief executive at Équité, highlighted the plan’s alignment with the association’s long-standing recommendations surrounding auto theft.
“Public Safety Canada’s National Action Plan on Combatting Auto Theft represents a turning point for auto theft in Canada,” O’Brien said. “Insurance crime, including auto theft, is a deeply complex and multifaceted issue with real and devastating consequences for our communities.”
Sources: Canadian Press, Canadian Underwriter and Insurance Business Magazine