Chances are, organized crime is driving car theft in Manitoba, police say – Winnipeg

Experts say Manitoba, like many other provinces, suffers from auto theft, but unlike some parts of the country, organized crime groups are not the main source.

Federal, provincial and municipal law enforcement agencies, border security, port officials and other stakeholders attended a national auto theft summit Thursday to address concerns about the theft epidemic and organized crime.

However, in Manitoba, car theft is treated as a crime whenever possible, with car thieves using vehicles that are running during the cold winter months.

“We don't see a lot of (organized crime) in Manitoba,” said Winnipeg police Const. Dani MacKinnon told Global Winnipeg. “We certainly know that it's a problem in the eastern provinces like Ontario and Quebec – some high-end cars are smuggled in their port cities. We still have a decent record of recovering stolen vehicles in Winnipeg.”

Ben Fosti of Champion Towing says his company can tow about a dozen stolen vehicles to police in one shift, and in most cases it appears to be the result of the owner simply towing the vehicle while it waits for it to warm up. .

So far, it's been the busiest year for stolen car recoveries in more than two decades.

“These were parked, left on the side of the road … pulled over by Winnipeg police for traffic violations and returned stolen,” Fosti said. “It's a problem for a lot of people, especially in cold weather. They want to be warm when they leave,” Fosti told 680 CJOB Add Winnipeg.

Fosti said he's seen a recent increase in car thefts citywide — from Transcona to Bridgewater and St. James.

A car is stolen every six minutes in Canada, according to a May 2023 report on the issue by the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association.

According to the report, car thefts have returned to their highest levels after declining due to increased attention from law enforcement agencies and improvements in anti-theft technology.

© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.