Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
April 21, 2011
Auto Crime Month Generates Results

VANCOUVER - Days after the kick off to Auto Crime Enforcement Month when Solicitor General Shirley Bond released new 2010 auto crime statistics, police have apprehended two of B.C.'s top 10 most wanted auto thieves.

The first of the arrests from the province's top 10 auto thieves list came less than 24 hours after the mugshots were released last week and was the result of an anonymous tip.

Ridge Meadows RCMP arrested 26-year-old Mathew Colin Wolfe at his parent's home without incident. Wolfe allegedly registered stolen trailers and then listed them for sale on Craigslist; he faces a total of 36 related charges.

Also as a result of an anonymous tip, Surrey RCMP arrested 26-year-old Christopher Henry Horkey at a residence in Surrey without incident; his last arrest involved the theft of a 2006 Jaguar.

A third individual from the province's top 10 most-wanted auto thieves list was apprehended on Tuesday by members of the Surrey RCMP's Auto Crime Target Team. Officers arrested Mark Forrest from the list, and his associate Desiree Belisle, after they were seen disassembling and trying to sell parts from an older model Honda Accord which was reported stolen out of White Rock.

The Province continues to combat car crime with the largest fleet of bait vehicles in the world and a dedicated team of auto theft enforcement police on the ground and in the skies.

Quotes:

Minister Shirley Bond: "We are encouraged by the general decline in auto crime that we have seen across the province in the past seven years."

Vancouver-Quilchena MLA Colin Hansen: "ICBC's ongoing efforts to prevent auto crime are delivering tangible results."

Quick Facts:

• The province has experienced a 65 per cent reduction in auto thefts and 61 per cent drop in thefts from vehicles since 2003.
• In Vancouver auto theft decreased 77 per cent and vehicle break-ins decreased 68 per cent since 2003.
• Vehicle theft went down 21 per cent in Vancouver between 2009 and 2010, and theft from vehicles dropped 25 per cent during that same period.
• A bait trailer was unveiled as one of the newest tools in the bait car program that now includes other recreation vehicles like motorcycles, snowmobiles and personal watercraft, as well as ATVs.
• In addition to bait vehicles, police are also using advanced technology like the automated licence plate recognition program that can scan 3,000 plates per hour to help locate stolen vehicles and unlicensed drivers on the road.

Learn More:

For more information on the Province's top 10 wanted auto thieves, as well as details on the types of vehicles most frequently stolen and tips to protect your vehicle, visit: www.baitcar.com

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