How Canada became a car theft capital of the world (2024)

ByNadine Yousif,BBC News, Toronto

How Canada became a car theft capital of the world (1)How Canada became a car theft capital of the world (2)Getty Images

Logan LaFreniere woke up one October morning in 2022 to an empty driveway.

His brand new Ram Rebel truck was missing.

His security camera captured two hooded men breaking into the pickup in the dead of night outside of his Milton, Ontario home, and driving it away with ease.

A few months later, that very same truck appeared on a website of vehicles for sale in Ghana, an ocean and some 8,500km away.

“The dead giveaway was the laptop holder that we had installed in the back of the driver’s seat for my son, and in it was garbage that he had put in there,” Mr LaFreniere told the BBC.

That same clutter was visible in photos of the car listing, he said.

“There was no doubt in my mind that it was my vehicle.”

Mr LaFreniere’s story is hardly unique. In 2022, more than 105,000 cars were stolen in Canada - about one car every five minutes. Among the victims was Canada’s very own federal justice minister, whose government-issued Toyota Highlander XLE was taken twice by thieves.

Early this summer, Interpol listed Canada among the top 10 worst countries for car thefts out of 137 in its database - a “remarkable” feat, said a spokesperson, considering the country only began integrating their data with the international police organisation in February.

Authorities say once these cars are stolen, they are either used to carry out violent crimes, sold domestically to other unsuspecting Canadians, or shipped overseas to be resold.

Interpol says it has detected more than 1,500 cars around the world that have been stolen from Canada since February, and around 200 more continue to be identified each week, usually at ports in other countries.

Car theft is such an epidemic that it was declared a “national crisis” by the Insurance Bureau of Canada, which says insurers have had to pay out more than C$1.5bn ($1bn; £860m) in vehicle theft claims last year.

The problem has forced police jurisdictions across the country to issue public bulletins on how to protect vehicles from theft.

Meanwhile, some Canadians have taken matters into their own hands, doing everything from installing trackers on their cars to hiring private neighbourhood security.

Some who can afford it have even installed retractable bollards in their driveways - similar to those seen at banks and embassies - to try and deter thieves.

Nauman Khan, who lives in Mississauga, a city just outside Toronto, started a bollard-installation business after he and his brother were both victims of car thefts.

In one attempt, Mr Khan said the thieves broke into his home while his wife and young children were sleeping. They were looking for the keys to his Mercedes GLE parked out front, he said, but ran after he confronted them.

After that “traumatic” experience, they sold their cars except for two “humble” family vehicles.

Through his business, Mr Khan said he now hears similar stories from people throughout the region of Toronto.

“It’s been very busy,” he said. “We had one client whose street had so many home invasions that he’d hired a security guard every night outside his house because he just didn’t feel safe.”

The pervasiveness of car thefts in Canada is surprising given how small the country’s population is compared to the US and the UK - other countries with high rates of such crime, says Alexis Piquero, Director of the US Bureau of Justice Statistics.

“[Canada] also doesn’t have as many port cities as the US does,” said Mr Piquero.

While the US, Canada and the UK have all experienced a spike in car thefts since the Covid-19 pandemic, Canada’s rate of thefts (262.5 per 100,000 people) is higher than that of England and Wales (220 per 100,000 people), according to the latest available data from each country.

It is also fairly close to that of the US, which sits at around 300 vehicle thefts per 100,000 people, based on 2022 data.

The rise in recent years is partly due to a pandemic-driven global car shortage that has increased demand for both used and new vehicles.

There is also a growing market for certain car models internationally, making auto theft a top revenue generator for organised crime groups, said Elliott Silverstein, director of government relations at the Canadian Automobile Association.

But Mr Silverstein said the way that Canada’s ports operate make them more vulnerable to this type of theft than other countries.

“In the port system, there’s a greater focus on what is coming into the country than what is exiting the country,” he said, adding that once the vehicles are packed up in shipping containers at a port it becomes harder to get to them.

Police have managed to recover some stolen cars.

In October, the Toronto Police Service announced an 11-month investigation that recovered 1,080 vehicles worth around C$60m. More than 550 charges were laid as a result.

And between mid-December and the end of March, border and police officers found nearly 600 stolen vehicles at the Port of Montreal after inspecting 400 shipping containers.

These types of operations, however, can be difficult to carry out given the volume of merchandise that moves through that port, experts have said. Around 1.7 million containers moved through the Port of Montreal in 2023 alone.

Port staff also do not have the authority to inspect containers in most cases, and in customs-controlled areas only border officers can open a container without a warrant.

At the same time, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has been grappling with chronic understaffing, according to a report submitted by its union to the government in April.

Outdated technology is also an issue.

Patrick Brown, the mayor of Brampton - another Ontario city hard-hit by car thefts - recently paid a visit to the Port Newark Container Terminal in New Jersey to compare inspection tactics between the US and Canada.

He told the National Post newspaper that US authorities have “got scanners. They measure density. They work closely with local law enforcement”.

“These are things that we don’t do in Canada,” he said.

The CBSA told the BBC that while local law enforcement takes the lead on investigations related to vehicle thefts, the border agency acts on all tips they receive from police to stop cars from leaving the country.

They added that they intercepted 1,300 stolen vehicles in 2022 and nearly 1,800 in 2023 from the Port of Montreal.

And as of 3 July of this year, the CBSA said it intercepted more than 1,400 cars.

In May, the Canadian government said it would invest millions to bolster the CBSA’s ability to search shipping containers. Police will also get additional money to combat auto theft in their communities.

But Mr Silverstein said he believes a missing puzzle piece is auto manufacturers themselves.

“Everyone is talking about trying to recover vehicles, and a lot of my focus has been on why we are not making the vehicles tougher to steal in the first place,” he said.

In the meantime, car owners like Mr LaFreniere are still grappling with what to do to keep their vehicles safe.

After his Ram Rebel truck was stolen, he replaced it with a Toyota Tundra - a vehicle that Mr LaFreniere described as his “dream truck”.

This time, he installed an engine immobiliser on it to prevent thieves from being able to easily start the car. He also equipped it with a tag tracker in case it did get stolen, and added a club on the steering wheel for good measure.

Thieves were undeterred. A pair came to Mr LaFreniere’s driveway, this time to steal the Tundra. They had a harder time, however, and resorted to shattering the back window to get inside.

The commotion woke Mr LaFreniere and he called 911. But the thieves managed to run away in the four minutes it took for police to arrive.

He paid to repair his brand new truck and then sold it.

The whole ordeal, he said, was nothing short of “disheartening”.

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How Canada became a car theft capital of the world (2024)

FAQs

How Canada became a car theft capital of the world? ›

It is also fairly close to that of the US, which sits at around 300 vehicle thefts per 100,000 people, based on 2022 data. The rise in recent years is partly due to a pandemic-driven global car shortage that has increased demand for both used and new vehicles.

What is the car theft capital of the world? ›

Canada has recently earned a grim new title as the 'car theft capital of the world,' with a staggering 105,000 vehicles stolen in 2022 alone. This rate equates to one car stolen every five minutes across the nation, prompting severe concerns from both national and international authorities.

Which country steals the most cars? ›

In 2020, New Zealand had the highest car theft rate worldwide, with 1,172 occurences per 100,000 inhabitants. Other countries with the highest car theft rate were Uruguay, Italy and the United States.

What is the most stolen car part in the world? ›

Here, we'll reveal the most commonly stolen car parts, exploring the reasons behind their desirability and what you can do to stop it.
  • Wheels and Tires. ...
  • Tailgates. ...
  • Batteries. ...
  • Catalytic Converters. ...
  • Airbags. ...
  • Third-Row Seats. ...
  • Registration. ...
  • Garage Door Openers.
Jan 16, 2024

What is the 1 stolen car in America? ›

According to the latest National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) report from 2022, the 2004 full-size Chevrolet pickup is the most stolen vehicle in America, with a reported 49,903 thefts, a 3.5% increase from 2021.

What is the car capital of the world? ›

Detroit is known as the 'motor city' and 'automobile capital' of the world. Q. Which one of the following cities is known as electronic capital of India?

How common is car theft in the US? ›

According to car theft statistics from Statista, there were 283 cases for every 100,000 people in 2022. The stolen cars statistics from the annual Hot Spots Report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) explain that this equates to over 1 million thefts.

Where is car theft the highest? ›

Top 10 states for car theft
RankState2020 theft rate
1Colorado661.21
2Washington, D.C.651
3Washington511.05
4Oregon475.5
6 more rows
Dec 6, 2023

Which country has the highest hijacking rate? ›

South Africa is thought to have the highest carjacking rate in the world. There were 16,000 reported carjackings in 1998.

What state is known for stealing cars? ›

In 2022, California was the state with the most motor vehicle thefts, with 202,685 motor vehicle thefts.

Why are cars being stolen in Canada? ›

A lack of information sharing, loopholes in the shipping declaration systems and outdated anti-theft safety standards have paved the way for growing criminal networks and crime rings that are expanding their operations across Canada, O'Brien added.

Which car is most stolen in Canada? ›

2020 Honda CR-V

What color car is most likely to be stolen? ›

What Auto Color Is Most Associated with Theft? According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), black, silver, white, green and gold are the colors most associated with vehicle thefts. Colors that more easily blend in with a crowd–white, gray, silver and black–tend to be reported stolen the most.

What brand of car is stolen the most? ›

Kia and Hyundai models now hold the top three spots in a 2023 ranking of stolen vehicles, according to a Thursday report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a not-for-profit organization that partners with member insurance companies to combat insurance fraud and theft.

What is the reason most cars are stolen? ›

Thieves often steal cars to strip them down and sell the parts individually, which can be more lucrative than selling the car as a whole. Economic Factors: Economic hardships and increased unemployment rates can lead to a rise in crime, including car theft.

What are the top 10 cities for car theft? ›

Top 10 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas By Motor Vehicle Theft Rate, 2022
RankMetropolitan statistical area (1)Theft rate (2)
1Pueblo, CO1,086.44
2Bakersfield, CA1,072.36
3Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO1,062.67
4Memphis, TN-MS-AR845.68
6 more rows

What do Kia boys do with the cars? ›

But at the end of 2023, Morgan Goldwich found her Kia Optima had been stolen – by people following the trend. After filing a police report, she was amused to hear mention of the Kia Boys, perpetrators of a trend that involved stealing Kias and Hyundais, taking them for joy rides and dumping them.

Why are cars stolen so much? ›

As a popular car model known for its reliability and longevity, the Toyota Camry is a common target for auto theft. Unlike its competitor, the Honda Accord, car thieves typically steal newer models despite the presence of anti-theft technology.

What are the chances of recovering a stolen car in California? ›

Of the 198,538 vehicles stolen statewide in 2022, 86.7 percent were successfully recovered, representing 172,083 recovered vehicles.

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