Provincial Auto TheftMandate "To provide leadership, expertise and co-ordination dedicated to investigations targeting the organized criminal enterprise of auto theft". Did you know? The stolen car industry is a 600 Million dollar a year illicit industry in Canada. In Ontario over 52,000 cars are stolen a year. Sixty percent are recovered in what are called transportation crimes (used and dumped). The remainder is the result of organized enterprise auto theft. Currently 18,000 stolen vehicles are outstanding in Ontario, not including trucks, trailers or heavy equipment. The cost of auto theft to the public is 1.2 billion dollars a year, this equates to $48.00 per insurance policy holder. In Canada, forty to sixty-five deaths or injuries a year are directly related to auto theft. Partners The Provincial Auto Theft Team is a standing Joint Forces Operation combining the resources of Police, governmental and non-governmental agencies in a partnership to combat organized crime. How organized auto theft works A stolen vehicle in itself is not a profitable commodity. In order for the criminal to realize a profit, he/she must either export the vehicle to a destination where it is no longer sought by police, chop the vehicle into parts and sell the stolen parts as legitimate components or disguise the vehicles identity (clone or re-vin) and sell it as "legitimate" to unsuspecting buyers. PATT therefore focuses on auto exports, fraudulent registration or re-vinning of vehicles and chop shop operations. Telephone (905) 671-6910 OPP.IB.OrganizedCrime@Ontario.ca More information on Auto Theft and how to protect yourself is available in this site's Resources section. |
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