Auto-Theft in Canada

Overview/Stats: In Canada, over 400 auto-motive vehicles are stolen per day, this results in a $1.2 billion dollar loss annually; Canada also has a higher auto-motive theft rate than the United States of America. The majority of these vehicles are usually stolen in British Columbia, or in Eastern Canada, that also typically being Winnipeg/Manitoba/Quebec.

This is most likely due to the higher population density, since most of the crime happens near large cities. 

And most of the cars stolen are never recovered, this is mainly due to the fact that the vehicles are sometimes disassembled for their parts, then sold to a fence of some sort. 

The most commonly stolen cars are usually mid-class sedans, or luxury SUV's, anywhere from Toyota Venza's, Honda Civic's, Cadilac's, or Range Rovers.

Along with that, these vehicles have a tendency to be silver, as that's usually very common color to see on vehicles.

But there are ways to prevent auto-theft; getting car alarms, tracking devices in GPS systems, (Known as Boomerang System), locking your doors and rolling up your windows, and taking your keys with you are simple ways to make your chance of having your vehicle robbed reduced.

If you take a look on http://www.ibc.ca/en/car_insurance/buying_a_new_car/hcmu.asp, the site offers a great overview on motor theft stats in Canada through a bar graph.

Why do people steal cars though? After all it's done by a wide range of thieves, from amateur, to professional.
Auto-motive parts are generally sold for a fair bit of money, and with vehicles being literally on every corner, it's easy to take one for the picking, especially if a thief takes one that is common. Most will just change the plates before they sell the parts to someone.
Expensive devices in vehicles also catch the eye, so petty criminals often break windows or hack through car locks to get inside and take the valuables.



Sources: 

http://www.autotheftcanada.com/
http://www.kanetix.ca/car-theft-in-canada
http://www.ibc.ca/en/car_insurance/buying_a_new_car/hcmu.asp
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