Richmond averaging almost a catalytic converter theft a day, according to RCMP
CTV
Catalytic converters were stolen almost daily in Richmond, B.C. during the first nine months of the year, according to local Mounties.
Catalytic converters were stolen almost daily in Richmond, B.C. during the first nine months of the year, according to local Mounties.
Richmond RCMP say 238 catalytic converters were reported stolen across the city between Jan. 1 and the end of September.
Since Sept. 30 was the 273rd day of the year, that works out to an average of 0.87 catalytic converter thefts per day.
Put another way, Richmond saw slightly more than six catalytic converters stolen, on average, each week from January through September.
“Victims all across the city have reported catalytic converter thefts from all makes and models of vehicles - from small cars to pickup trucks, cargo vans, large trucks and buses," said Cpl. Ian Henderson, spokesperson for Richmond RCMP, in a news release.
"Catalytic converter thefts, like other property-related offences, are crimes of opportunity," Henderson added. "Thieves prey on those vehicles left unattended or unwatched for long periods of time, day or night. They prey on vehicles they can hang around and climb under without being noticed.”
Catalytic converters are part of a vehicle's exhaust system. They've become a target for thieves in recent years because of the precious metals they contain, as well as the relative ease and speed with which they can be removed from a parked vehicle.
