Strathcona County, Alta. – Theft of catalytic converters continues to be a crime trend and is predominantly a crime of opportunity. The precious metals found in catalytic converters are valuable to scrap metal dealers and recyclers.
Currently catalytic converters do not have serial numbers which makes it very difficult to trace and identify an owner. These thefts have been occurring at all hours and thieves can remove a catalytic converter quickly, often in only minutes.
The Strathcona County RCMP have a few suggestions to protect your vehicle from a catalytic converter theft:
- Park in well-lit areas and close to building entrances, when possible
- Park your vehicle inside your garage and keep all garage doors shut and locked
- Engrave your vehicle identification number (VIN) on the catalytic converter. This may alert a scarp metal dealer that it was stolen and makes it easier to identify the owner
- Have the converter welded onto the vehicle
- Invest in a special clamp or cage for the converter
- Invest in a car alarm that is sensitive to the vibration of the converter being sawed off
- Business owners should secure their vehicles behind locked fences or inside a locked building
- Report to local police, if you see anyone underneath a vehicle or around a residence/business at odd hours of day or night
“Catalytic converter thefts continues to be a persistent problem that comes and goes with the rise and fall of the precious metals that are contained within in them,” says Superintendent Dale Kendall, Strathcona County RCMP Detachment Commander. “Our officers are working diligently using crime reduction strategies to target the offenders and reduce the impact these thefts have on residents in the area.”
We need your assistance. Cooperation between the RCMP and the public is instrumental to the success of our Crime Reduction efforts. The simple act of reporting any suspicious activity and/or crime provides us with the necessary information by which we gather intelligence.
If you have any information on property crimes in your area, you are encouraged to contact the Strathcona County RCMP at 780-467-7741 or your local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8444 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.