SASKATOON – The number of police chases in Saskatoon continue to rise. There were 61 pursuits in the city during 2014, up from 49 in 2013 and 27 in 2012.
Chief Clive Weighill says the increase is a direct result of keys being left in vehicles. A report to the Saskatoon board of police commission on Thursday found 32 of last year’s chases involved a stolen vehicle.
“We’ve seen an increase in people trying to evade police, mainly in stolen cars,” said Weighill. “We saw an 11 per cent increase in stolen cars last year and we’re seeing an increase again this year in stolen vehicles.”
Officials say one way to combat the increase in thefts and chases is for motorists to take their keys out of their vehicle.
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Of the 61 chases last year, 38 were aborted due to safety concerns, 11 involved young offenders, and 19 vehicles were damaged. The average length of a pursuit was just under two minutes.
Wendy Winiewski contributed to this report.
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