Auto Theft Expected Up For The Summer

Auto theft looks to be heading back up in Portage la Prairie.

MPI Vice President of Public and Corporate Affairs John Douglas says local auto theft is up slightly this year - province-wide, it's jumped 20%.

And with summer well underway, that trend is likely to continue - kids are out of school and the weather is nice.

While Douglas says the rise is discouraging, it's not out of the ordinary - he notes auto theft in Manitoba tends to come and go in waves.

Douglas says 31-thousand of 78-thousand high risk vehicles in Manitoba have been equipped with immobilizers so far - he says the benefits of that program should start to become more evident next year.