Vancouver Deters Car Theft With 'Bait' Car
Back in my younger days, which I spent driving aimlessly around the country, I stopped to visit a friend in Vancouver, B.C. He warned me that I should check on my car, which I had parked on the street, as frequently as possible.
Car theft in Vancouver, it seemed, was a major problem.
However, a technique police were already beginning to employ then has drastically reduced automotive theft, by a whopping 45% in the province: the use of “bait” cars.
Bait cars are vehicles armed with hidden cameras, vehicle immobilizers and GPS locators that the Vancouver PD deploys into high-theft areas. The practice started in 2003, and results have been impressive. Stolen vehicle reports have dropped from 5,320 to just 2,100 in five years in the greater Vancouver area, which is a 61% decrease for the city. At the same time, vehicle recovery rates have improved to 93% of all stolen vehicles.
And in case you were wondering, I left Vancouver with my Toyota Corolla unscathed.
