Auto thieves have had a bad start to February.
Tuesday, Feb. 1 was a busy day for the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT), making two separate arrests and recovering three stolen vehicles.
IMPACT is an integrated unit, currently made up of members from the RCMP, Vancouver Police, Delta Police, New Westminster Police, Transit Police and ICBC Special Investigations Unit.
According to a news release, at about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, IMPACT members spotted a vehicle with Alberta licence plates, driving in Surrey. Checks revealed the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Calgary.
Evidence was gathered and the driver, a 32-year-old man with no fixed address, was arrested without incident. He was held for court.
Shortly after 2 p.m., IMPACT located another vehicle that was reported stolen driving in Surrey. IMPACT members followed that vehicle and arrested the driver, a 24-year-old man from Surrey. He was also held for court. The vehicle had been reported stolen out of Langley.
Both vehicles were recovered and secured. Both men are due in Surrey Provincial Court today (Feb. 2).
At about 4:30 p.m. IMPACT also located a third stolen vehicle in Surrey, which was reported stolen out of Vancouver. It was parked, unoccupied. It was recovered and held for forensic examination.
“Our team works really hard to target auto thieves and it’s great to see all that work rewarded with these results,” said Sgt. Bob Harris, Operations Officer for IMPACT.
IMPACT develops strategies to reduce auto crime in the Province of British Columbia through:
* targeting active, high-risk, repeat motor vehicle offenders
* programs that track stolen vehicles and discourage auto theft
* social media and education to increase public awareness of auto crime and prevention.
