Motor vehicle theft is on the rise in Bonnyville, according to new numbers released by Bonnyville RCMP indicate.
Between January and Sept. 15, 2011, Bonnville had 36 motor vehicles stolen. Over the same period in 2012, 27 were stolen. In 2013, 37 went missing and last year 29 motor vehicles were reported stolen. This year that number has gone up to 61, according to statistics provided to the Nouvelle by Bonnyville RCMP S/Sgt. Luis Gandolfi.
“This year we're up to 61, which is almost double any of the preceding four years,” said S/Sgt. Gandolfi. "I can not confirm that this is due to any one factor, but it does show an alarming change in what otherwise has been a fairly regular pattern.”
“I'm disappointed, but I'm confident that the RCMP and law enforcement will correct that situation,” said Bonnyville Mayor Gene Sobolewski. “There's probably several different factors and likely different individuals for different reasons, but I'm hoping that there will be a bit of a crackdown and we have some increased patrols in the evening and residents keep vigilance on their vehicles.”
Lesley Wittmack of Bonnyville was at Pharmasave after a hospital visit earlier this year. She was in for a shock when she stepped outside into the parking lot where she had parked her truck just moments earlier. “I went inside to drop off the paper and went back outside and my vehicle was gone,” said Wittmack.
She spent weeks looking for her 2014 SLT Dodge Ram 1500. She posted a notice on Infomall, notified various RCMP departments and called businesses in the area to see if they had cameras around the parking lot. Nobody did.
She was finally able to get a new truck two months after her truck was stolen because of insurance protocol.
“If there's any kind of an issue, call the RCMP so that we can arrest these criminals and get them off our streets,” said Sobolewski. “This behaviour's got to stop. I find it alarming.”
Sobolewski said it would be a convenient excuse to attribute the spike in motor vehicle theft to recent layoffs. “I just think that people who are desperate enough to steal vehicles, there's a market for,” he said.
“People have to be vigilante and have faith that the RCMP are going to nab some of these criminals and hopefully the justice system will put them behind bars for a while rather than immediate release.”
Cold Lake RCMP has also released their motor vehicle theft numbers, which shows a sharp decrease compared to 2014.
