What Gets Stolen
If you’re wondering what it is thieves steal, I will try to give you some insight into that question. The short answer is anything and everything at anytime and anywhere. It sounds pretty glib, but that’s the reality. Let’s see if we can provide a little more detail.
One place I consulted was the September 7th Mountie Moments from the Turner Valley RCMP detachment which provided a really good breakdown of the various crimes committed in their jurisdictional area, from April 1 to June 30, 2023. The full report is available on the Foothills County website. From that report, which covered 3 months, we see that in the Diamond Valley, High River, and Okotoks rural areas there were:
- 8 Break & Enters,
- 14 Motor Vehicle thefts,
- 31 reported thefts under $5,000 in value, and
- 6 reported thefts over $5,000 in value.
While I was unable to connect with the Turner Valley RCMP prior to the deadline to try to get a little more detail on what items are targeted, I can provide some insight from previous experience and from some other online reports.
When it comes to rural crime, the anything and everything answer is very appropriate. This is partly because in addition to thefts of household items, there are also thefts of acreage or farm items from the balance of the property and farm/ranch fields.
As you can see from the above listing, one of the most vulnerable items to be stolen is your vehicle. In Statistics Canada’s 2021 report on reported rural and urban area crime (most recent data I could find), Break and Enters and Vehicles Thefts are highest in rural Alberta. Vehicle theft is getting more sophisticated as thieves (especially organized crime rings) will use various types of electronic devices/ methods to access a vehicle. Some devices will reset the factory codes and then there is the practice of intercepting fob data that I’ve covered previously.
Fortunately, vehicle theft is one of the more easily thwarted crimes if you follow the commonsense actions of locking your vehicle even when it’s at home, or better yet using a steering wheel locking device such as The Club. Sometimes the lowest tech solutions are the best. Yes, it’s a pain in the butt to use the physical locking device every time, but it works. And yes, thieves can overcome the physical locking device, but they are going to have to have come prepared with the right tools. Anything to slow thieves down is a deterrent as they will often leave yours alone and go find a less protected target. The simple act of locking your vehicle really does reduce the chance of your vehicle being stolen.
It is also amazing to me how many people still leave the keys in the vehicle. They can be in the ignition or in the ash tray, on the console, dashboard or wherever. If you must leave the keys in the vehicle, at least hide them. If a thief can’t see them, he’ll think that you took them with you.
I’m sure you are all aware of the lists that come out once a year or so of the most commonly stolen vehicles. If yours is on the list, know that you need to be more vigilant than other vehicle owners. Pickups are a favourite target in rural areas.
With regard to what thieves target inside your house, items that are valuable and easy to carry are the highest targeted items. Jewelry is a favourite, including watches, but so are electronic items and medications, especially narcotics. In rural areas, firearms are also valuable targets. You can install trigger locks and other devices on your firearm, but it is better to have them out of sight locked up in a gun safe. A firearm with only a trigger lock can be taken and the thief will try to figure out how to free up the firearm later or even sell it as is on the black market.
With regard to what thieves steal elsewhere on the property, the list is endless. Here are a number of examples: ATV’s, tools from a shop are popular as they are easy to turn into cash, livestock (no, rustling is not a thing of the past), crops (including hay) or grain especially if these are out in a field away from a residence. I’ve even heard of meat being stolen out of a freezer stored in a garage.
Trailers, holiday and utility, can be easily stolen as they are often out in the open and all a thief has to do is backup and hookup. Hitch locks that fit on the trailer are highly recommended, especially for holiday trailers as they often sit for extended periods of time and can also be used at the campsite. They are cheap and easy to use.
Dave Schroeder – HCRCWA Board Member
