Ray Cam helping young car thieves make U-Turn

By Matthew Claxton-Contributing writer

The Ray Cam Co-Operative Centre wants to put neighbourhood kids in go-karts and keep them out of stolen cars.

The centre is raising $100,000 needed for a program to give kids legal thrills and to teach them skilled trades.

"It came out of frustration really," said Ray Cam youth worker Alex Vasiljevic.

The neighbourhood around Ray Cam has a high rate of car theft, mainly because of teenagers stealing cars for quick joyrides.

"They get a thrill out of stealing cars, just for fun," Vasiljevic said.

Many of the teens are under 16 and barely know how to drive. They get into dangerous situations, driving fast and recklessly and becoming involved in police chases. They often take siblings or friends as young as 10 and 11 years old along. The group joyrides also become training sessions, with the more experienced older thieves teaching their younger friends how to swipe a car.

Although both social workers and police are aware of the problem, little is being done either to hold the ringleaders accountable or to put them on the right path, Vasiljevic said.

"The social safety net is failing these children. The justice system is failing these kids," he said.

Vasiljevic is hoping a local variation on the Australian U-Turn program to change young car thieves will help.

The hook is to give the kids a chance to race on go-karts.

"You can limit the speed and use safety equipment, and they're not on the street," said Vasiljevic.

At the same time, the program will provide the car thieves with positive role models and give them a chance to take training as auto mechanics or as chefs. They may also get help in getting a legal drivers license.

Only half the 32 teenagers considered for the six-month program will be car thieves. The other half will be young "community leaders," kids from the same neighbourhood who haven't been in trouble and will be partnered with the car thieves. The teenagers who don't steal cars often face pressure to joy ride, and U-Turn will give them a reward for not giving in.

The program could be run out of the former go-kart oval in Strathcona Park and could start as early as this spring.

Half of the program's budget has been secured. ICBC has committed to fund $50,000 in the first year. Organizers hope the city or local car dealerships will provide the remainder.

U-Turn was created in Australia in 2002 in the state of Tasmania, and has expanded to New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland. According to the Australian Attorney General's Department, Australia has one of the highest rates of car theft in the developed world. Its government has spent $1.345 million AUS on the U-Turn program since 2002.

Aside from its sponsorship of U-Turn, ICBC doesn't have specific initiatives to divert people from stealing cars, said Dennis St. Aubin, the auto crime strategies portfolio manager.

The insurance corporation aims its anti-car theft ad campaigns at teenagers and people in their early 20s. The ads for the Lower Mainland's celebrated bait car program warn young people away from car theft.

"We want to ensure that they understand the potential risk," St. Aubin said.

Audio recordings of thieves caught in the cars often capture the driver and passenger discussing if they've inadvertently stolen a bait car.

"Usually when we're listening to them, it's because they made the wrong guess," St. Aubin said.

Bait cars also allow police to prosecute passengers, who previously could claim they didn't know the car was stolen. Police can come to court armed with audio of the thief and passenger discussing the theft, and often video footage of the passengers stealing small items from the cars.

Ads are also being placed in fast food restrooms, and ICBC recently started a new campaign called Stolen Car Show. The campaign warns people about how easy it is to steal a car not equipped with an immobilizer or other antitheft device.

In February another ICBC sponsored campaign will see Autoplan brokers and volunteers hand out scratch and win tickets with reminders to drivers to protect their cars from theft. The program will give away 900 steering locks.

posted on 01/31/2005