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By Susan McNeil
Prince Albert police are warning people of an increase in stolen vehicles, saying that about 40 have been reported missing since the start of August.
About one-half of those have been older model GMC/Chevrolet models. That includes the one belonging to the Prince Albert Youth Travel Club, according to Donna Dalziel, the non-profit’s founder and CEO.
“Why someone would choose to do this to a truck that’s extremely noticeable, I’ll never know,” she said.
She owns the 2002 GMC 1500 extended cab truck, which is covered with photos of students on various trips around the world, and said the loss is a huge setback for fundraising.
“What they’ve done is not only stolen the truck. Now the fundraising that we do will have to be minimized because they will not have my truck to borrow,” Dalziel said.
The club uses the pickup to pull a trailer that carries BBQ equipment to various locations.
Three days a week, the club sets up next to Prince Albert’s Canadian Tire and parks the truck and trailer across the street at the McDonald’s lot, with the permission of the owners.
On Tuesday, both truck and trailer were there at 11:40 a.m., as witnessed by someone Dalziel claims confirmed the time with her till receipt.
Three hours later, the truck was gone.
“When someone went to pick it up, they were going to spray down the BBQ and clean up, and it wasn’t there,” Dalziel said.
The keys are with her, so she figures the thief hotwired the vehicle.
“My guess is it’s on the side of the road, it’s either torched or it’s been trashed. But everybody knows that the Prince Albert Youth Travel Club allows students to travel the world through a lot of hard work and fundraising. We need this truck to continue the fundraising,” she said.
On Wednesday, Prince Albert police were worried enough about the trend to issue a public warning.
Since Aug. 1, 40 vehicles have been reported stolen in the city.
To help people protect their property, police are recommending owners keep property out of sight in their locked vehicles, make sure keys are not inside, park in a garage if possible, and consider installing an after-market theft deterrent, like an alarm or tracking system.
People should not confront thieves and should call police immediately instead. The public is also asked to report suspicious activity as police say thieves will scout vehicles in advance.
People with information can call Prince Albert police at 306-953-4222 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.