Continuing efforts to combat rising vehicle theft rates, the government of Canada is investing $15 million to support law enforcement agencies fighting the growing crime rates.

Members of the government, including Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, democratic institutions and intergovernmental affairs, as well as reps from the Montreal Police Service gathered last week to announce the new investment.

The government said $9.1 million will go to provincial, territorial and municipal via the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime. This investment is to be used to ramp up capacity to take custody of detained stolen vehicles from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

“Local police services from across the country play a crucial role in combating auto theft. As was highlighted at the recent National Summit on Combating Auto Theft, collaboration is essential to combatting this crime efficiently. The investment we are making today will enable police services to further strengthen their cooperation,” LeBlanc said in a press release.

The government noted that the aforementioned $9.1 million will be used to increase information sharing and investigative tactics to find and retrieve stolen vehicles.

Additionally, $3.5 million of the government investment will go to INTERPOL’s joint transnational vehicle crime project.

The last $2.4 million will go toward government efforts to engage domestic and international partners to ensure a coordinated response to the challenge.

This latest investment builds on a series of recent moves from the government of Canada including:

• Held the National Summit on Combating Auto Theft in early February
• A $28 million investment to increase the capacity of the CBSA
• Researching and pursuing all avenues to ban devices that help to steal vehicles by copying the wireless signals for remote keyless entry
• Modernizing the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
• Examining potential amendments to the Criminal Code
• Invested $121 million to help cut down on gang and gun violence, including organized crime and auto theft.

“Behind every car theft, there are serious impacts for vehicle owners, visitors and the reputation of the metropolis. Car thefts are a gateway to the criminal network for many young people, and we need to take concrete action. The funding announced today will certainly reinforce the strike force of the SPVM, other police forces and partners involved. We salute this gesture by the Government of Canada and will remain mobilized to fight effectively against this scourge,” Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said in the release.

The Equite Association commended the Canadian government on its latest investment to combat vehicle theft.

Terri O’Brien, president and CEO of Equite Association, said in a statement to the press, “Equite Association would like to commend the Government of Canada for its continued investment in combating Canada’s auto theft crisis. This additional support for both domestic and international law enforcement agencies and partners is a significant piece of an overall action plan being developed by the federal government to combat auto theft in Canada.

“Equite Association looks forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners in law enforcement, both domestically and internationally, as well as our industry partners, as we work together to ensure the safety of communities across Canada,” O’Brien said.