Ottawa, Ontario — On November 25, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs announced up to $3.5 million in funding for project “Drive Out,” a joint initiative with INTERPOL to help combat transnational organized vehicle theft.
According to a government statement, the recent funds will be distributed over the course of three years and will build on a previous investment of $15 million to support law enforcement agencies’ work to combat auto theft through the Contribution Program to Combat Serious and Organized Crime (CPCSOC).
The current project aims to enhance information sharing between law enforcement agencies, member states and the privacy industry in order to strengthen data analysis and identify stolen vehicles and spare parts around the world.
Currently, INTERPOL’s stolen Motor Vehicle database contains more than 12 million records. In 2023, approximately 226,000 vehicles globally were identified as stolen through the database, and so far, in 2024, the database has been searched more than 356 million times.
In the government release, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc further commented that “auto theft is a crime that knows no borders. That’s why continued collaboration between domestic and international law enforcement partners like INTERPOL is key to recovering Canadians’ stolen property and to disrupting the organized crime groups involved.”
For more information about the current initiative, click here.
