Posters pinned to telephone poles urge residents to be on the lookout for van thefts around Lyon and Somerset streets.
Ottawa police investigators say an organized crime ring is behind a spate of van thefts that has plagued Centretown and surrounding parts of Ottawa in recent months.
While there has been no overall increase in vehicle thefts, there has been a spike in the number of stolen minivans, according to the Ottawa Police Service’s organized auto theft division.
Between Jan. 1 and March 7, 54 vans were stolen in Ottawa. During the same time period in 2012, just 17 vans were stolen.
Ottawa journalist Shannon Lee Mannion had her locked van stolen from her garage on Florence Street.
She said she put up posters to warn other people in the community and to try to get her van back.
“If they’re stealing vehicles, what’s next?” Mannion said. “Maybe they start breaking in and stealing computers and other things.”
Mannion said she did not expect her van to come back since the police had told her it was an organized crime ring that had probably crushed the car for its metal – which can yield considerable value given today’s prices for scrap metal.
According to the organized auto theft division, there are known suspects being investigated in connection with the van thefts.
The signs posted on streets near the intersection of Somerset and Lyon ask: “What is going on? Who is doing this?”
For the organized auto theft division, the number of non-recovered vehicles is of more interest. Stolen vehicles are often discarded after a joy ride, but the stolen minivans are not turning up anywhere in Ottawa after being stolen.
“Either they’re stripping the vehicles for parts or exporting them by putting a false identity on the vehicle, which all points to a degree of organization,” said an officer with the division.
Out of the 54 vans stolen this year, only 11 have been recovered, according to the police. Last year, 13 of the 17 stolen vans were recovered over the same stretch of time.
Mannion’s poster states: “Thieves took my locked van from my garage on Florence Street.” The sign describes the van and asks anyone with information to contact the police.
A high-profile van theft drew more attention to the situation in Centretown.
On March 2, someone hijacked a parked van on Booth Street and drove it away with two children, aged three and five, still sleeping in the back seat. The van hit two cars before finally crashing into a building.
The driver fled the scene, according to police.
The children were found unharmed and given assistance by witnesses.
According to police statistics, 1,468 vehicles were reported stolen in Ottawa in 2012, with 816 of those recovered.