'Thieves are getting brazen': Ottawa police warn of spike in daytime vehicle thefts at malls, grocery stores
'Thieves are getting brazen': Ottawa police warn of spike in daytime vehicle thefts at malls, grocery stores
Ottawa police are warning motorists to watch out for a new trend this fall of vehicles being stolen from parking lots at shopping malls, grocery stores and recreation and sporting venues in broad daylight.
"Thieves are getting brazen," Staff Sgt. Cathy Brown said in a statement.
"You may have your mind on your seasonal shopping list, but thieves are taking advantage of unattended vehicles in parking lots to steal your car, SUV or truck."
A total of 1,160 vehicles have been reported stolen in Ottawa this year. Police tell CTV News Ottawa that 173 vehicles were reported stolen in November.
In a media release, police say there has been "a surge" of reported vehicle thefts from the parking lots of grocery stores, recreation and sporting venues and shopping malls during daylight hours.
Det. Doug Belanger told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now the daytime vehicle thefts can happen in minutes.
"This trend of some of the daytime (thefts) targeting vehicles is a very recent trend. I'm concerned that it might become more common if it proves to be a good option for these organized groups," Belanger said Friday afternoon.
"Statistically, it's only a very small proportion of the overall (theft) rate."
Belanger says the amount of time it takes to steal a vehicle is "minimal".
"The availability of these vehicles and the amount of time it takes is so minimal. Some of the investigations we've had to date, I've seen groups that are so polished at it," Belanger said. "The amount of noise and the fuss that it takes to perform the theft is so minimal; how much is that really going to stand out in a large parking lot … it doesn't take long. By the time people maybe realize what's going on, it's already done and it's away."
Police say there has been an "undeniable spike" in thefts of the following newer model vehicles
Honda (specifically CRVs)
Acura
Dodge Durango
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Lexus RX
Ford F-series trucks
Police say any model of vehicle with a proximity key are being targeted by thieves.
"We are seeing it on a daily basis now and that's something that has been a continuing trend but it's escalated quite aggressively," Belanger told CTV News Ottawa.
Vehicle thefts are still being reported overnight from an owner's driveway.
When you are shopping or at the arena this holiday season, police encourage you to "be vigilant" while parking.
"That means engaging any security system you have purchased for your vehicle," Brown said.
"For example, if you have an Engine Control Module (ECM) port lock, make sure it is engaged, if you own a club, attach it to your steering wheel while you shop."
A total of 373 stolen vehicles have been recovered by police this year.
Police recommend the following tips to protect your vehicle:
Parking inside a garage if available
Install an Engine Control Module
Install an after-market vehicle immobilizer
Installing after-market tracking devices or "GPS"
Use a steering wheel lock to deter thieves
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Natalie van Rooy
President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he ordered U.S. officials to shoot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this week and that national security leaders decided the best time for the operation was when it got over water.
Canadians will continue to bundle up in the country's east this weekend as a recent bout of extreme cold persists in much of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. CTVNews.ca looks at the signs and symptoms for frostbite and hypothermia to watch for if exposed to extreme cold.
A cold snap that triggered Environment Canada alerts involving eight provinces and territories extended into a second day on Saturday, shattering several past temperature records and leaving thousands of customers in Atlantic Canada without power.
The massive white orb drifting across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media. A look at what's known about the balloon crossing the U.S. and what isn't.
Eyes were locked on the skies Saturday as a suspected Chinese spy balloon passed over the U.S. Eastern Seaboard -- where local authorities warned civilians against taking potshots with rifles -- before it was shot down when it drifted over the Atlantic Ocean.
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
The first North Atlantic right whale to be entangled in connection to Canada’s lobster fishery in over five years has been successfully rescued by marine mammal rescue responders in the United States.
A spokesperson for the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) says Metrolinx began cutting down historic trees at Osgoode Hall in Toronto on Saturday before the Ontario Superior Court could hear an injunction to prevent their clearing.
Residents from Quebec to Newfoundland and Labrador are waking up this morning to more extreme cold weather. Emergency officials warned people to seek shelter and monitor for frostbite if they had to be outside overnight, as the temperature across much of Eastern Canada was expected to feel like -40 C to -50 C with the wind chill.
Another property reportedly belonging to a family member of Tony Accurso was the target of an arson attack in Laval early Saturday morning. The Laval fire department responded to a call at 3:22 a.m. about a fire at the building located at 1410 Jaffa Street in the Saint Rose district in the northern part of Laval.
A Quebec university study found that nearly three years of the pandemic have had an effect on the travel habits of Quebecers: even with the partial or complete lifting of restrictions, they increasingly prefer to travel at home. The most recent Cahier des tendances published by the Transat Chair in Tourism at the École des sciences de la gestion de l'UQAM revealed that inflation and health measures hurt many Quebecers.
An investigation that lasted almost two years has resulted in moose hunting violation convictions for six people and a lodge in Red Lake in northwestern Ontario.
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars. W5's documentary 'Buried Evidence' airs Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.
The owner of Radical Gardens, a restaurant in Timmins said she's experienced nineteen robberies over the last eight years; with the most recent one taking place in the early morning hours Friday.
WINNIPEG -- An Indigenous organization is spearheading efforts to develop a system that could make it easier to flag when a person experiencing homelessness is missing.
Winnipeg police released a new image of a 31-year-old woman who has been missing since early last year on Friday in the hope it may generate new information on her whereabouts.
Alberta's high court is being asked to overturn a review board decision relating to the stabbing deaths of five young people at a Calgary house party on the grounds the former provincial justice minister interfered.
Vancouver police say the man recorded hurling profanity and homophobic slurs at a young couple outside a downtown SkyTrain station last weekend has turned himself in.
President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he ordered U.S. officials to shoot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this week and that national security leaders decided the best time for the operation was when it got over water.
Regina will soon have two additional ambulances on the road with a full complement of staff. Now other communities in Saskatchewan are calling for more support.
