West Vancouver police are asking the public to call in any suspicious activity after a significant increase in catalytic converter thefts.
WVPD has received 18 reports of these thefts till date this year, compared to just 5 reports this time last year.
Thieves are not only targeting personal vehicles, but have also hit school buses, and even the West Vancouver Senior’s Centre Bus recently.
“The cost to repair the damage can be thousands of dollars,” says Cst. Kevin Goodmurphy. “We are asking for the public to be vigilant, and to report any suspicious behavior.”
Those who steal these parts do so because of the high monetary value of the precious metals they contain.
“Typically, they are cut from the undercarriage of vehicles, using a power tool,” says Goodmurphy.
“We know this makes a significant amount of noise, and we want people to report this.” “It’s likely not your neighbour doing renovations at 3am.”
Police have released an educational video, to demonstrate the process of cutting off this part. Video can be found here: https://youtu.be/bDiG0YxVd7c
They also offer these prevention tips:
If possible, park vehicles behind locked doors, such as inside a garage or locked compound. If this is not an option, do your best to park in a well-lit area
To report suspicious behavior, please call 604-925-7300. In an emergency, call 9-1-1.
Thought I would pass this on: Due to an increase of thefts of catalytic converters (never-mind the unmentioned equally expensive vehicle break-ins), the police (West Van in this case, but it is happening across the North Shore), are suggesting that people park their vehicles in locked garages or secure undergrounds. A question then comes to mind, how is it Joe Citizen can do this if ‘The City’ insists on ‘Reduced’ on-site secure underground parking at virtually all new developments and has even approved a mixed use building with ‘NO’ as in ‘Zero’ resident parking?
Now tell me, did anyone in planning – -the fixated HUB bunch – even consider for one moment people’s personal security before crafting their social engineering agenda?
Respectfully,
Tony Caldwell,
North Vancouver City