The St. Albert RCMP has issued a warning about a rise in thefts of catalytic converters.
The RCMP said in a news release Wednesday afternoon there was one report of theft in August, followed by 11 reports in September. So far this month, there have been two thefts and one attempted theft. The most recent was on the Thanksgiving weekend, when a grey 2005 Honda CRV had its catalytic converter cut out in a staff parking lot at the Sturgeon Community Hospital.
The RCMP said the thefts happen particularly when a vehicle is left parked for a few hours or overnight in shopping mall or store parking lots, in front of closed businesses and in industrial areas.
Catalytic converters contain expensive metals that criminals sell for a profit, but the owner of the damaged vehicle incurs a hefty repair bill. Replacing a stolen catalytic converter can cost the vehicle owner up to $2000.00 per vehicle.
The RCMP added catalytic converters can easily be removed by sliding under the vehicle and sawing through the piping. This means trucks, vans and SUVs are more at risk for catalytic converter thefts, since they are easier to crawl under.
To prevent catalytic converter thefts, RCMP suggest:
• Park in well lit areas when possible
• If you have a garage, park your vehicle inside
• Park close to building entrances, or close to roads so there is more people passing by your vehicle that could see when something is wrong
• Report any suspicious behaviour around parked vehicles.
If you have information about these crimes and would like to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), online at p3tips.com, or with the P3 Tips app. Crime Stoppers does not collect information about your identity. A tip leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
