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By Abby Zieverink

Alberta RCMP

‘Operation Cold Start’ looks to reduce vehicle thefts in Alberta

Jan 15, 2022 | 8:00 AM

Alberta RCMP along with their partners in law enforcement are launching Operation Cold Start.

From January 31 to February 6, officers across the province are working together to educate Albertans to help reduce warm-up vehicle thefts, with their initiative called ‘Operation Cold Start’.

“For the first time ever, RCMP in Alberta are actually teaming up with all the other police services in Alberta for this campaign,” said Alberta RCMP Media Relations Officer Cpl. Troy Savinkoff.

According to statistics from the RCMP, roughly 25 per cent of vehicle thefts in the province are stolen while idling. He adds vehicle thefts across the province are higher during the winter months.

“When the weather starts getting colder, we often see auto thefts go up and that goes for all communities, including Grande Prairie.”

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Savinkoff tells EverythingGP with drivers warming up their vehicles during the colder months, offenders see it as a crime of opportunity.

“Obviously we are trying to warm up our vehicles so that they are warm, and we are able to drive them safely, but offenders are taking advantage of that and when they see those vehicles running, it is presenting that opportunity, and they are going to take and steal vehicles.”

He explains wildlife to be a good comparison to deterring thieves.

“If you don’t feed the wildlife, they won’t come into your yard, that bear prevention type mentality,” Savinkoff suggested. “Under the same circumstances, if we as a community can prevent some of those attractants to offenders, it will prevent them from committing those types of offenses.”

Tips to preventing warm up vehicle thefts from police include:

• If possible, look into command start options as a means to warm your vehicle.
• Steering wheel locking devices are effective options that can help mitigate theft.
• When starting your car, or allowing the engine to warm up before driving, ensure that you are in the vehicle.
• Never leave valuable items like purses, wallets, keys, or change in an unoccupied vehicle.
• Always place keys to vehicles in a safe place, out of plain sight, and in a secure location.
• Lock vehicle doors all the time, even if you are parked in your driveway or garage at home.
• Never leave your vehicle unattended if it is running or the keys are in it.

RCMP Superintendent Mike McCauley of the Community Safety and Wellbeing Branch said in a release Alberta has the highest per capita auto theft rate in the country.

“This drives up insurance rates for Albertans and these files take a great deal of time to investigate. This project will prevent some of these crimes during the project, and ideally, thanks to the educational component of the project, will change Albertan’s habits. It is a small investment tackling one of the root causes of this crime.”