Which vehicles are targeted for theft in Saskatoon? And other things to know about stolen autos

21/11/2023

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Crime [1]

Saskatoon police advise owners not to leave keys in vehicles, leave them running unattended or leave valuables visible inside.

Dodge Ram trucks have been the top stolen vehicles in Saskatchewan so far in 2023. Photo by Joe Raedle /Getty Images

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Nearly 1,000 vehicles were stolen in the first 10 months of the year in Saskatoon, city police data shows. Between Jan.

1 and Oct.

31, police received 954 auto theft reports, a slight increase from the 925 reported in the same period last year. The total number of vehicles reported stolen in all of 2022 was 1,101.

Article content An annual seasonal spike may be on the way. In colder weather, vehicle thefts increase, said Staff Sgt.

Matthew Ward of the general investigation section. Advertisement 2 Story continues below

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Article content “When it first gets cold, we will see that jump and we need to always remind the public to stay diligent in that regard. It doesn’t seem to necessarily make a difference because when it’s cold, people leave their vehicles running outside of a restaurant or outside of their home,” he said.

In most cases, police say vehicles are stolen for transportation, and the majority are recovered later. So far this year, 79 per cent of reported stolen vehicles have been recovered, according to police data. If someone is found in the stolen vehicle, they’re charged with possession of stolen property over £5,000 or under £5,000, based on the value of the vehicle, Ward said.

A vehicle theft charge is less often laid because of the difficulty of proving it beyond a reasonable doubt unless the person admits it. Seventy-six incidents have resulted in a charge so far in 2023; 86 resulted in a charge in all of 2022. The annual total number of vehicle thefts was below 1,000 for three years in a row — 933 in 2019, 923 in 2020 and 961 in 2021.

Saskatoon StarPhoenix

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This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Ward said vehicle theft trends are relatively stable right now compared to other property crime trends; police are seeing slight increases as the city’s population grows.

As which vehicles are most often targeted, in Saskatoon, it’s not about make and model but about opportunity. Ward said city police don’t see particular makes/models targeted by thieves in the same way they would be in a city with port access or complex vehicle theft rings. “What we’re seeing targeted are vehicles that are left running, vehicles with keys inside them; if it’s easy access, then it drives away,” Ward said.

According to Saskatchewan Government Insurance, so far in 2023, there have been 2,755 claims related to thefts of light vehicles (cars, trucks and SUVs), for a total payout of £21,541,665 provincewide. Last year, 3,274 claims were made and £29,805,443 paid out. Those numbers don’t include semis, trailers or other heavy vehicles, and the number and value of claims may rise, since claims can take up to two years to be settled.

Trucks and SUVs make up the majority of the top 10 vehicles stolen in the province to date in 2023 and last year; the same vehicles have also been popular with drivers [2].

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Article content The Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150, GMC Sierra and Ford F-350 — all trucks — are the top five most stolen makes/models in 2023, according to SGI. Advertisement 5

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Advances in technology, such as keyless entry, can help prevent theft, if the driver doesn’t leave the key fob in the vehicle, Ward said. Last Friday, Ward closed a case in which the owner reported the vehicle was gone, there was no broken glass at the scene and the owner had the only set of keys. “Then we found it the next day with the keys in the ignition,” he said. “Sometimes people don’t like to tell us they left the keys in the vehicle.”

Vehicle thefts can also be a public safety risk.

Ward said sometimes when police locate a stolen vehicle, the driver may try to flee. In 2022, police recorded 76 incidents of people trying to flee police in a vehicle; 38 involved a stolen vehicle [3]. “A police chase is a very, very serious matter in our eyes, and we never want to put the safety of the public in any type of jeopardy,” Ward said, adding that people who have committed crimes are also often willing to flee from police.

To prevent vehicle thefts, Ward and SGI advise owners not to leave their keys inside and not to leave vehicles unattended and running. Ward also advises owners to park in well-lit areas and not leave valuables visible inside.

SGI has more suggestions on how to prevent vandalism and theft: click here for more tips [4].

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With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark TheStarPhoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.[8][9]

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References

^ Crime (thestarphoenix.com)
^ the same vehicles have also been popular with drivers (driving.ca)
^ police recorded 76 incidents of people trying to flee police in a vehicle; 38 involved a stolen vehicle (pub-saskatoon.escribemeetings.com)
^ click here for more tips (sgi.sk.ca)
^ [email protected] (thestarphoenix.com)
^ Trend of declining vehicle thefts in Saskatoon reversed slightly in 2021 (thestarphoenix.com)
^ Saskatoon police use of Tasers, guns increased in 2022: report (thestarphoenix.com)
^ TheStarPhoenix.com (thestarphoenix.com)
^ Click here to subscribe. (thestarphoenix.com)