Calgary police have released a flurry of videos taken from a police helicopter showing car thieves in action, to highlight a dramatic increase in vehicle thefts over the past year.
The videos, released on Thursday, show vehicles running red lights, nearly hitting pedestrians and smashing into other cars in an attempt to evade police.
Police say that 4,879 car thefts were reported in 2016, a 51 per cent increase from the average reported over the past five years.
"It's a highly dangerous situation we find ourselves dealing with almost daily," said Insp. Mike Bossley.
Car thefts are becoming more common as Calgary suffers through a recent cold snap, say police.
One in four stolen vehicles are taken with the keys inside while they’re being warmed up by owners, police say. Fourteen cars that matched that description were stolen on Wednesday.
The thefts over past year have led to the death of an innocent driver as well as at least four cases of police shootings, with two suspects dying, over the past year.
"Can you image being the person driving down the road and seeing a car coming head-on towards you and you’ve got your kids, you’ve got your wife, your mom in the car, your dad, it’s putting us all at risk," said Bossley. "We’re really asking for the public’s assistance to be more vigilant when they are starting their car, especially in this cold weather."
The president of Calgary's police union says the number incidents are forcing their members into increasingly dangerous situations where use of force is required.
"We are answering more calls where those decisions have to be made," said Les Kasminski, the union’s president.
Kasminski says the police service should focus on taking chronic offenders off the streets, which he claims would reduce vehicle thefts that lead to police shootings.
With a report from CTV Calgary's Alicia Fieldberg
