Community Crime: Car thefts on the rise in Calgary
Posted Jul 13, 2017 6:54 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
More than 10 vehicles a day are stolen in Calgary, but which neighbourhoods are the hardest hit?
Since January 2014, there has been a steady rise in car thefts across the city, going from an average of just over two per community per month, to just over three in that time span.
Residents of Forest Lawn are the most likely to lose their car to theft, followed by Radisson Heights, Pineridge, Marlborough and Dover.
Police Chief Roger Chaffin is aware of the rising numbers.
“The biggest risk areas we have right now is dealing with the volume of the stolen vehicles and the strategies that we do to — bring them to a safe arrest during very chaotic situations. So that’s been a big issue for this service,” he said.
He believes the upward trend in car thefts goes hand in hand with rising illicit drug use in the city, especially with methamphetamines.
Police say always lock your vehicle, and keep loose change and valuables out of site.
