In my column from October 25, faced with this growing phenomenon of automobile theft across Canada, I invited the federal Minister of Public Safety to set up a commission of inquiry. He finally decided after 4 months to organize a national summit on February 8.
When you think about it, whether it is a summit or a commission of inquiry, the important thing remains the continuation of things and, above all, the intelligent analysis of the coordination of actions and resources.
If this summit only serves as a springboard to make a few political announcements before the elections or remains a public relations exercise to reassure the population, we will not resolve this problem which has existed for a long time.
Indeed, for years, cars have been stolen in Quebec and the rest of Canada to be resold in Africa and the Middle East.
Impunity and ease
Like the vast majority of crimes, auto theft involves a basic mathematical calculation: costs versus benefits. In other words, the perpetrator makes a rational choice before committing the act and adapts accordingly. It tends to assess whether the game is worth the effort.
First, is the target interesting? Is there an obstacle to theft? A guardian to prevent or prevent it? Is the car easy to access? Does it have significant monetary value? Do we have a good distribution and reception network?
To all these questions, the answers are undoubtedly yes. We know that the resale value of a stolen automobile on the illicit market at the first level can vary from $3,000 to $5,000 per unit. Subsequently, prices rise.
Furthermore, the merchandise is easy to steal. Now, there is no need to tamper with the door, just pick up the opening signal and you can leave without any worries. If you are arrested by the police (a rare thing), the sentence will be more than paltry compared to the financial gains.
After all, insurance companies have been letting insurance companies take care of this by increasing their premiums for years.
So, in your opinion, with all these facilities and this impunity, are the perpetrators of car theft motivated or not?
A national strategy
At the end of this summit, we can expect budget announcements for police forces, ports and the Canada Border Services Agency; perhaps even for the automobile industry which profits from these criminal car theft networks. They will potentially be told to make their car more secure and will have the audacity to ask for money to do so. A possible big scam.
The fact remains that after the waltz of millions, if an INTELLIGENT long-term strategy is not put in place, the taxpayer will have paid for an unnecessary summit (we can expect substantial expenses), while continuing to live with the stress of having your car stolen and seeing your insurance premiums increase.
Remember that in Quebec, the rate of automobile theft increased by 50% in 2022 and this bleeding was also noted among our Ontario friends.