Carjackings in Winnipeg doubled last year, say Winnipeg police

If you think you’ve heard about carjackings more often than usual lately, you’re right.

Winnipeg police say the number of carjackings in the city more than doubled from 2017 to 2018, from 50 to 103 – and carjackings have been on the rise for at least the past five years.

“What we can attribute part of the increase to, is what we’ve been saying for some time now, is the increase in drug use, the increase in the combination of drug use and alcohol use,” said Cst. Tammy Skrabek.

“We’re seeing situations where we have people that are high on drugs, that are behaving erratically, that are at intersections or are approaching people that are in vehicles, attempting to open doors, not necessarily with the intention of carjacking, really, just looking for either a ride or really unsure of where they are, and … we’re seeing a little bit of an increase there of people attempting to get into other people’s vehicles.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're seeing situations where we have people that are high on drugs, that are behaving erratically, that are at intersections or are approaching people that are in vehicles, attempting to open doors, not necessarily with the intention of carjacking, really, just looking for either a ride or really unsure of where they are, and … we're seeing a little bit of an increase there of people attempting to get into other people's vehicles."

The large increase last year is likely more related to meth use, said Skrabek.

“There’s also a bit of a correlation to the fact that cars cannot be easily stolen anymore. The more the newer cars come out with the deterrents on them, the less they’re able to be stolen,” she said.

So instead, thieves are targeting running vehicles, often with someone vulnerable behind the wheel, and it’s largely a crime of opportunity, she added.

“They’re not really targeting anybody. It’s ‘Where am I right now, what is available, you’re the person sitting at the intersection, I’m going to get into your vehicle.'”

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There have been several high-profile carjackings in recent months, including one this past weekend where a man high on meth carjacked a vehicle then turned himself into police.

Skrabek said it’s likely carjackings will increase.

“It’s going to happen more often as it becomes more commonplace in the criminal element, because there is no other option for them. They can’t just run down the back alley and steal a car that’s … So the next best thing is to take a vehicle that is already running, and unfortunately, most of the time, somebody’s occupying that vehicle.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's going to happen more often as it becomes more commonplace in the criminal element, because there is no other option for them. They can't just run down the back alley and steal a car that's … So the next best thing is to take a vehicle that is already running, and unfortunately, most of the time, somebody's occupying that vehicle."

The best thing people can do to prevent it from happening to them is to be aware when pulling up to an intersection, keeping doors locked and not leaving your vehicle running.

“We want to open our windows, we want to get the fresh air … don’t have your back windows completely rolled down so that somebody could reach in.”

-With files from Diana Foxall and Tristan Field-Jones