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By LegalMatters Staff • Albertans love their pickup trucks and so do thieves in the province.
According to the 2022 Vehicle Theft Trend Report, published by the Équité Association, Alberta saw an 18.3 per cent rise in auto theft in 2022, with larger pickup trucks such as the Ford F-350 and Ram 1500 the most targeted.
“These vehicles are often stripped for parts or their vehicle identification number (VIN) is changed before they are resold to an unsuspecting buyer,” says Calgary criminal lawyer Matthew Deshaye.
He notes that data from the Calgary Police Service shows there was an 18.7 per cent increase in vehicle thefts from 2021 to 2022, a figure slightly higher than the provincial number.
“There were 5,916 auto thefts in the city last year, including attempted thefts,” Deshaye says. “But this is not just a big-city issue, as auto thefts are increasing across the province.”
He says the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has stated that most built-in security systems are inadequate to prevent auto theft.
“Thieves can break into and drive away with most models of vehicles in less than a minute. Research shows thieves favour certain models because they have found ways to steal them easily,” according to the EPS.
If your vehicle is stolen, “the first step is to call the non-emergency line of your local detachment to file a report,” says Deshaye.
“Make that call as soon as you discover it is missing,” he says, adding that close to 80 per cent of vehicles stolen in Alberta are recovered by police.
