VIDEO: How thieves steal your car in a matter of seconds

As Village Life's sister site The Trillium recently reported, the numbers are staggering: every day, more than 50 vehicles in Ontario are stolen. A lot of of those cars and trucks end up in shipping containers bound for overseas markets.

For governments of all levels, cracking down on auto theft has become a top priority in recent weeks. Premier Doug Ford warned car thieves everywhere that “we’re coming after you,” and the Trudeau Liberals have pledged $15-million to help fight the growing problem across the country.

Bryan Gast understands the challenge as well as anyone. A former OPP officer who is now vice-president of investigative services at Équité Association, Gast was a guest on the latest episode of Village Media's Inside the Village podcast. 

“I always try not to give a how-to guide to steal vehicles, but I think it’s important for people to recognize what methods are out there so they can protect themselves," Gast said.

He said modern-day car thieves have evolved far beyond screwdrivers and coat hangers. 

“They are very sophisticated," Gast said. "They have very significant networks, everything from the scout that’s looking for the vehicle, the criminal that has the technology and the ability to steal the vehicle, and then the groups that are able to take that vehicle to a location to containerize and get them to exit points of Canada. And then you have the groups that are receiving the vehicle and then either using the vehicle overseas or selling the vehicles. It’s very sophisticated, they are very well-connected and there are multiple groups that are doing this.”

Check out the full episode HERE.

Hosted by Scott Sexsmith and Michael Friscolanti, the Editor-in-Chief of Village Media, Inside the Village is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across our chain of Ontario newsrooms. Produced by Derek Turner, the program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people across the province.

Every episode is available HERE. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

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