Organized criminals want your cars. Are you using all the available tools to pretext them?
Canada has one of the highest rates of car thefts in the world, with about 300 cars being stolen each day, according to Statistics Canada. The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates a car is stolen about every three and a half minutes.
It’s also big business. The Ontario Provincial Police say stolen cars are a $600 million a year industry that costs the public $1.2 billion a year, or $48 per insurance policy holder.
That’s why anything auto dealers can do to “take a bite out of crime” is a big help. Auto dealers are a target for theft.
Numbers down so far
So far in 2011, statistics show that in some regions the number of thefts of vehicles from auto dealers is going down. According to police services in Montreal, Que., in 2010, there were 72 vehicles stolen from the lots of auto dealers. By the end of June 2011, only 18 cars were ripped off. At this pace, the number of thefts will be down by about 50 per cent this year compared to 2010.
The evolution in security systems and loss prevention strategies might be partly to credit for the difference. Auto dealers are taking advantage of a host of new tools to protect their inventories. These tools are also useful to help foil the organized crime groups that are behind some of these thefts, particularly in Ontario and Quebec. Some of these technologies also help to locate and retrieve the stolen vehicles.
Many of these tools can be used to protect your vehicles and your other valuables such as parts and accessories.
Make your mark
Among the tools used to help identify and retrieve stolen vehicles are vehicle marking system, such as those offered by Sherlock Antitheft Marking Inc.
Sherlock’s “intensive antitheft marking” systems provides a permanent engraving of an identification number in 52 spots on a vehicle including windows, T-tops, mag wheels, wheel covers, lights (front and rear) and engine parts. The Sherlock number is associated to the vehicle’s VIN number and entered into the company’s database.
Anne-Marie Jodoin, Sherlock’s director general, says that some dealers choose to mark their entire inventory while others decide only to mark the vehicles they feel are most at risk of being stolen. “Some dealers also sell the service to clients,” says Jodoin.
Sherlock has close links with municipal, provincial and RCMP police forces, and security agencies. They have direct access to the company’s database, and regularly consult files to make sure that vehicles have legitimate parts or to trace the serial numbers of vehicles.
Virtual security guard
Another theft prevention system, launched four years ago, offers a different approach. The Quebec-based Groupe Securnov, offers an electronic security guard service that protects dealer vehicles against theft. Any theft attempt or movement of a vehicle triggers a RF alarm that is transmitted to computer software to alert dealership staff. This can be used to protect an entire lot or only certain vehicles, is fast and easy to install and can be used for day or night protection or both, says the company.
“This virtual security guard installs in seconds in a dealer’s vehicle, and fights theft day and night,” says Andre Girard, President of Securnov. “The mobile unit detects any unauthorized intrusion, or movement of the vehicle.”
The company also offers vehicle key management systems that help improve security, reduce time spent looking for keys and provide other benefits. This allows dealers to know if the vehicles are on the road or on the lot, where they are located and which employees have a vehicle in their possession and for how long. All useful information for managing vehicle inventory.
Proprietary tracking
According to Boomerang Tracking, the company’s proprietary tracking technology uses existing wireless telecommunications networks to provide greater scope and accuracy in tracking stolen assets.
Unlike GPS and GPS-cellular systems, the company says it is able to successful track stolen vehicles located in underground parking lots and even in shipping containers. Since 1999, the company says it has recovered thousands of vehicles representing hundreds of millions of dollars.
The company’s vehicle recovery systems are supported by specialized networks across Canada and the United States, according to Richard Allard, Boomerang’s vice-president of sales.
Allard says the product allows for the discovery and recovery of vehicles that are in places where criminals might try to hide them such as tunnels, garages, areas with densely populated forests or even inside lead containers.
The company says its Boomerang Tracking System is capable of locating your vehicle within three feet of its actual location, often within an hour.
* This is a translation of an article written for our sister publication Affaires Automobiles.
