London police are giving the public a heads-up after they’ve seen a spike in stolen catalytic converters.
Police say thieves are targeting Honda CRVs, particularly in the west end of the city.
Const. Sandasha Bough says it’s something they’ve seen in the past, but there’s been an increase since the start of the new year.
“The crime analysis unit detected a pattern using analytical software, and they found that we’d had 10 incidents since the beginning of January.”
Bough says thieves will look to sell the part to scrap yards for some quick money, while residents are on the hook to replace it, costing around $2,000.
“The part contains platinum, rhodium and palladium, and these metals are expensive.”
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She says thieves have been targetting vehicles in parking lots of apartment buildings.
“We’re asking people to park in well-lit areas, park close to a building entrance or road, just to increase the amount of pedestrian traffic in those areas,” said Bough.
“Then, hopefully, if someone was looking to steal the catalytic converter they might get scared off.”
She says the part doesn’t take long to remove, and thieves can detach it from under your vehicle in a matter of minutes.
Bough says if your converter is missing, you’ll notice a loud rumbling sound when you start your vehicle.
Bough says a majority of the targeted Honda CRVs have been between model years 2003 and 2009.
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