Vancouver police celebrated the seventh anniversary of the Bait Car program yesterday by announcing car theft has dropped 71 per cent in the province this year compared to six years ago.
Theft of cars is also down 27 per cent this year compared to last, with 710 cars having been reported stolen between January and June.
“Bait cars are a shining example of how innovation, integration and investment are working to reduce auto-theft crime,” said Solicitor General Kash Heed at Vancouver police headquarters.
“B.C. now has the largest bait-car fleet in North America.”
Bait cars are placed around the city and can be tracked by police once they are stolen.
Everything that takes place inside the bait car is caught on live audio and video, and once police are behind the stolen vehicle, its engine is disabled.
“We’ve seen a continued drop in auto-crime claims thanks to this successful partnership and customers taking steps to protect themselves,” said Nicolas Jimenez, ICBC’s road-safety director.
“It’s one of the reasons we’ve been able to lower optional insurance rates.”
