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Proactive industry
Automobile theft - A proactive industry
Considering the extent of automobile theft in Québec, property and casualty insurers have taken several measures to eliminate this scourge. These measures have included awareness-raising campaigns, studies, conferences and briefs submitted to stakeholders.
Timeline of actions taken by insurers
1988
- Implementation by the Groupement des assureurs automobiles (GAA) of the Opération AUTOgraphe program in cooperation with the Insurance Bureau of Canada. As a result of this program, the windows of more than 100,000 vehicles have been engraved.
- Distribution of the first "black book" on auto theft in Québec, Le vol d'automobiles au Québec, ça n'arrive pas qu'aux autres, raising the awareness of the various stakeholders with respect to the scope of this scourge in Québec.
1989
- Continuation of the Opération AUTOgraphe program: while continuing to provide the support needed to continue this program throughout the province, the GAA passed the torch to its partners, the police organizations.
- Distribution of the second "black book" on auto theft, Le vol d'automobiles au Québec, ça n'arrive pas qu'aux autres, including the latest statistics on auto theft.
1990
- Completion of a study intended to verify the effectiveness of antitheft systems.
1991
- Establishment of an auto theft action committee with a mandate to study means for controlling the automobile population and the methods used by the insurers' investigators.
- Distribution of the third "black book" on auto theft, Le vol d'automobiles au Québec. Une automobile volée toutes les 20 minutes, disclosing the results of the study on antitheft systems.
- Organization of a conference on auto theft to raise the awareness of stakeholders with respect to the extent of this scourge.
- Establishment of a commitment protocol for insurers: the GAA obtains the commitment of its members to improve practices for controlling auto theft.
- Production of an audiovisual document on auto theft in partnership with the IBC, which was made available to the police. This document serves as an awareness-raising and prevention tool.
1992
- Completion of a study on the effectiveness of the Opération AUTOgraphe program.
1993
- Advertising campaign launched in Montréal and Quebec City to make motorists aware of the importance of adopting preventive behaviours.
- Distribution of the fourth "black book" on auto theft, Le vol d'automobiles au Québec, ça coûte cher à tout le monde, disclosing the results of the study on the Opération AUTOgraphe program.
- Call for cooperation issued to all police services in Québec during its participation at the Association des directeurs de polices et pompiers du Québec conference.
- Financial support provided for the AUTOdéfense program initiated by the Laval police department, intended to combat vehicle theft from parking lots of major shopping malls in Laval.
1994
- Distribution of the fifth "black book" on auto theft, Évolution du phénomène du vol d'automobiles, 1989-1993, indicating that, for the first time in five years, Québec did not hold the auto theft record in Canada.
- Implementation of a training program for detecting made-over vehicles: the GAA trained 300 automobile claims adjusters to identify stolen vehicles.
- Financial support for the CERVO project (Control of the Exportation and Receiving of Stolen Vehicles Overseas): during the first initiative, 61 vehicles stolen in Québec for export were seized, for a total value of $1.6 million.
- New poster campaign launched in large parking areas in cooperation with the Montreal Urban Community Police Department (MUCPD) and the Laval police department.
1995
- Advertising campaign with the MUCPD and the Laval police department repeated.
- Radio campaign launched jointly with the IBC (Voyez-y!) intended to prevent all types of incidents, including auto theft.
1996
- Financing provided for the CIBLE project: in keeping with this program, a special squad of trained police officers from the Sûreté du Québec; the MUCPD; the Laval, Longueuil, and Boucherville police services; and Customs and Excise Canada was set up to dismantle organized rings of automobile thieves. Initial results: major theft rings dismantled, recovery of approximately 350 vehicles and car parts worth a total of almost $3 million.
- Support for the CERVO project continued.
- Production of 500 new prevention posters to support the campaigns of the MUCPD and Laval police departments.
- Subsidies of $100,000 offered to the prevention programs implemented by police services throughout the province.
1997
- Advertising campaign continued with the MUCPD and the Laval police department.
1998
- Study entitled Le vol automobile au Québec ordered: this study was intended to verify the effectiveness of various actions taken up to this time since, following on the encouraging statistics noted in 1994 and 1995, the 1997 statistics were alarming.
1999
- New advertising campaign launched with the SPCUM and the Laval police department.
- Major symposium on auto theft organized. This event, which was intended to stimulate thought with respect to the concrete measures to be taken in order to prevent auto theft, drew 200 people from various sectors: insurers, police, legal professionals, regulatory organizations, and automobile manufacturers, mechanics and recyclers.
- Establishment of working committees to develop the suggestions proposed at the symposium.
- The insurers assume the leadership of the fight against auto theft in Québec.
- Establishment of a team to develop a concrete action plan with respect to auto theft.
2000
- Adoption of the action plan Plan d'action-Lutte contre le vol auto prepared by the auto theft team.
- Launch of the Le Phare newsletter, a communication and information tool dedicated to auto theft distributed to all stakeholders in auto theft.
- Participation in the Opération Faucon project managed by a firm of bailiffs to recover stolen vehicles.
2001
- Presentation of a brief to the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec.
- Presentation of a brief to Customs and Excise Canada.
- Presentation of a brief to Transport Canada.
- Establishment of committees assigned to improve the practices of insurers.
- Participation in the Canadian auto theft prevention committee.
- Participation in conferences and symposia on crime prevention.
- Renewal of the auto theft prevention poster campaign.
2002
- Publication of the pamphlet entitled Choisir un antivol.
- Brief presented to the Ministère de la Sécurité publique du Québec (police services).
- Publication of Trousse antivol : Suggestions de pratiques visant à contrer le vol auto et la fraude liée au vol auto (document intended only for insurer members).
2003-2005
- Auto theft prevention campaigns launched.
2006
- Portable computer theft prevention campaign ("Lock up your laptop") launched in partnership with the Montréal Police Service and two supporting partners, Jack Astor's and Tutti Frutti.
- Preparation and distribution of 150,000 copies of a new pamphlet on auto theft in the automobile issue of Protégez-vous.
2007
- The Insurance Bureau of Canada, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (Neighbourhood Police Station 46) and the Borough of Anjou have joined forces with Galeries d'Anjou, Halles d'Anjou, Costco Anjou, RONA L'entrepôt Anjou, Club de Golf Métropolitain Anjou and Quality Hôtel Parc Olympique Montréal-Est to launch a campaign aimed at preventing theft from vehicles.
- This prevention initiative will take an integrated, multi-pronged approach and will include signage in parking lots and near participating establishments, police presence (patrol officers, cadets and information kiosks) and private security (security guards and camera surveillance).
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