Saskatoon police bait car thieves with decoys

To the naked eye, the cars may look like a easy target. They are parked unattended. The keys are inside.

But would-be thieves should beware. Police actually want the unsuspecting thieves to try and steal some of the unassuming-looking cars parked on Saskatoon streets. 

Our hopes are that these cars actually do get hit.- Staff Sgt. AJ Chevli

"Our hopes are that these cars actually do get hit," said Staff Sgt. AJ Chevli, the officer in charge of the department's economic crime unit. 

That's because these so-called bait cars are put on the street in the hope of catching thieves in the act. The cars and trucks are salvaged from SGI and are equipped with alarms that will notify police when someone breaks in. They also won't drive anywhere. 

"As soon as a door is activated we have an alarm system in our communications system. It triggers a chain reaction where patrol officers respond and come to effect arrests on people," he said.

The vehicles are also equipped with video equipment so the thieves are caught in the act. That video evidence can be pretty damning in court, said Chevli. 

Car thefts at five-year high

Car thefts are a growing problem for police in Saskatoon and across the province. The Saskatoon Police Service recorded 1,269 car thefts in 2016 — and that's a five-year high. 

There were more than 3,000 claims for stolen autos province-wide, according to SGI. Those claims cost nearly $24 million.  

Police say much of that spike is related to the huge influx of crystal meth.

Car thieves are not always sophisticated, said Chevli. 

"These are crimes of opportunity where an offender will see something that has minimal risk and high reward. Sometimes they are taking these vehicles for joy rides, sometimes it's to commit other offences," he said. 

Chevli said the decoy car program that launched last year is one tool to help cut down on the thefts. The idea is to park the cars in so-called "hot spots" areas where people are often breaking into or stealing cars. 

So far the decoy cars have been hit 25 times and more than 30 people have been arrested and charged. 

SGI says auto thefts cost millions 

SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy said that because the auto theft claims cost the insurance broker millions, anything that will cut down on thefts is a good thing. 

"I think anything that would reduce the number of auto theft claims coming in would be something that SGI would be pleased about," McMurchy said. 

"When you are looking at millions of dollars in auto theft claims every year, if we can reduce those numbers or control those numbers that's something we would certainly be supportive of."

SGI provides the salvage vehicles to the police at no cost and gets the vehicles back once the police are finished with them. 

Regina is also participating in the Auto Theft Reduction Project. In that city, auto thefts and attempted auto thefts are actually down year over year. There were 820 reported stolen vehicles in Regina this year, down from 880 the year before. 

Chevli said the police in Saskatoon have a solid recovery rate for stolen vehicles. He said about 85 per cent of the time the vehicles are recovered and returned to their owners or to SGI, if they've been written off.