Bait car nabs car thief

VERNON – He took the bait, and now he's got a court date.

The 22-year-old Vernon man picked the wrong car to break into September 2. The vehicle was part of the RCMP's bait car program, which contains GPS tracking software and hidden surveillance cameras.

"The suspect did not steal the car at that time," RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says. "The video was retrieved from the vehicle and a suspect could be seen removing items from the interior of the vehicle." 

Through consultation with adult probation, the man was identified.

"The suspect was interviewed and when confronted with the video evidence confessed to the theft," Molendyk says, adding he was then arrested for the offense. 

Not only are there bait cars, there are bait boats, ATVs, bikes and Sea-Doos, Molendyk says.

"Would-be thieves should be aware that at any given day the bait car and program is in effect in our area," he says.

And it might not just be a vehicle that could catch you. Molendyk says probation and parole officers deserve a lot of credit for their work reducing this type of activity. Reports of thefts from cars have gone down from 578 in 2011 to 438 in 2013, a reduction Molendyk attributes to a combination of initiatives in the force.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca, call (250)309-5230 or tweet @charhelston.