36 - North Shore Rows — Friday, March 31, 2000

Ope

rnad

rivers must hel

Martin Millerchip

News Reporter
mmillerchip@nsnews.com

ICKC reports a small
drop in auto crime
claims in 1999 com-
pared to 1998 despite
an increase in the
number of stolen vehi-
cles.

The corporation received
just over 106,000 auto crime
claims last year — 1,000
fewer than 1998,

Vandalism claims fell 3.6%
last vear and theft from auto
claims were down by almost
1%,

However, total auto theit
claims rose by 5.8%.

The 7% increase in auto
theft in the
Vancouver/North Shore/
Squamish area was not as
alarming as the 16% increase
in the Surrey/Fraser Valley
area.

Even though the volume
of auto crime claims was
down fast year, the cost to
settle those claims rose 3% to
$134.3 million.

“After two consecutive
years of strong declines, the
increase in auto theft claims
in 1999 is a.concern,” says
ICBC President Thom
Thompson.

“But the good news is
that the latest theft numbers
are still well below the 1996
level when vehicle theft was
out of control in our
province.”

A recent Lock Out Auto
Crime blitz of the Capilano
mall parking lots revealed
how easy some drivers make
it for potential thieves.

OF 800 vehicles checked:
B 22 cars had keys of garage
door openers left inside;

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

CRAIG Willmott (right) and Guita Yazdani were busy handing out information “tick-
ets” dunsg a Lock Out Auto Crime sweep of Capilano mail parking lots last week.

@ = fou: left
unlocked;
B four cars had open win-
dows;
M@ 195 cars (almost 25%) had
possessions or cash in plain
view; and
@ one car had an expired
insurance decal.

On a more positive note:
@ 123 cars had steering
wheel locks — although 19
of them were not in use;
@ 108 cars had alarms.

The vehicle audits were
conducted between March
19 and 22 by Lower

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Lonsdale Community
Policing volunteers Craig
Willmott, Guita Yazdani and
Mike Pilon.

RCMP bicycle patrol offi-
cers also made several sweeps
of the area.

Willmort says the main
objective of the project was
to educate the public about
auto crime.

“Theft irom vehicles
could be eliminated very
quickly if people simply
stopped keeping valuables in
their car: ,” said Willmott.

“Even if our own personal

94 CHEV S10

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ear is not broken into, we are
all victims of auto crime. This
crime may result in highes
insurance premiums and it
also requires police attention
that could be utilized for
other probleras in our soci-
er.”

Thompson agrees auto
crime is not a victimless
crime.

“People suffer when
someone steals or vandalizes
a vehicle. That’s why harden-
ing the target is so important.
The rise ia theft claims shows
us all British Columbians

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ICBC AUTO CRIME CLAINS

Province-wide Totals
TYPE OF CLAIM 1888 1639 CHANGE
Theft of Auto 17,767 18,793 58%"

BN Vandalism 46,231 44,678 3.6%*.
Theft from Auto 42,997 42,592 3.6%&

BiGGC THEFT GF AUTO GLAS

gy Regional Breakdown

my REGION 1988 1999 CHANGE

: g Greater Vancouver West 4 fone: 5,291 7.0%"

WR (City of Vancouver, North Shore, Sq

b> Greater Vancouver East 4g77. . 4310. 1.0%"

Be (Richmond, Burnaby. New Westminster, Tri-Cities, Maple Ridge}

a Fraser Valle | 4947 5,717. 16.0%"

: (Surrey, Langely, Abboistord, Chilfiwacig

4 Vancouver island - 97 1,086 10.08"

= Sounthern Interior 1,388." 1,297 6 ee
Northern interior ; ae 90%,

NEWS graphic Norisa Anderson

must continue their efforts to
lock out auto crime.”

ICBC is
helping = te
combat auto
crime by sup-
porting local
prevention
projects with
Its Com-
munity Auto
Crime
Prevention
Grant.

Last year,
the corpora-
tion funded
30 local pro-

crime prevention training
workshops.

Up to $1 mil-
lion in ICBC
auto — crime
prevention
grants will be
awarded = in
2000.

Grants will go
to crime pre-
vention
groups and
societies,
community
groups, vol-
unteer agen-
cies or local

“After two con-
secutive years of
strong declines, the
increase in auto theft
claims in 1999 is a

concern”

— ICBC president Them
Thompson

jects throughout the province
including bike patrols in
shopping mall parking lots,
warning signs, park patrols,
youth activity programs and

business groups that have
made a commitment to do
something positive about the
auto crime problem in their
communities.

WWW.nsnews.com

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