By CRM staff
Toronto, Ontario – May 8, 2019 – Collision repairers in Manitoba may be targetted by thieves stealing vehicles.
Manitoba Public Insurance is now warning auto repairers to be cautious of where client’s keys are being stored.
On Saturday, a Winnipeg had her SUV stolen at a Canadian Tire service centre while it was there for repairs. Police have determined that someone went inside the shop found her keys and took the vehicle.
“Auto thieves are getting more desperate and they’re more creative. It’s that simple, so what we’re seeing is 99 percent of the vehicles that are getting stolen are immobilized,” MPI spokesperson Brian Smiley told CTV News.
There have been reported arrests made at this time.
According to MPI, 3,400 vehicles are stolen in Manitoba every year, at a cost of $30 million. While the public corporation does keep records of the number of these thefts that occur at bodyshops, the information is not available to the public.
