91原创 Township will look at ways that local Mounties and ICBC can help curtail the ongoing problem of catalytic converter thefts.

Councillor Barb Martens鈥� motion at the Monday, Nov. 20 meeting calls for civic staff to work with the RCMP and the insurance corporation on new measures.

Martens noted that ICBC reports claims for catalytic converter thefts in B.C. climbed from 89 to 2017, to 1,953 over the next five years.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not as simple as strictly enforcement,鈥� she said.

Part of her motion noted that limits on how scrap dealers can buy catalytic converters is one effective approach to cutting off the problem, but that there still needs to be a way allow for legitimate sales of the converters.

An amendment by Coun. Misty VanPopta added that staff will reach out to neighbouring municipalities to learn what steps they鈥檝e taken.

鈥淭here鈥檚 some success in the approach that Surrey is doing, we don鈥檛 need to re-invent the wheel,鈥� VanPopta said.

Catalytic converters are valuable because they contain small amounts of rare minerals, the price of which has gone up in recent years. Because they are on the underside of a car, they are vulnerable to thieves, who can saw them off in a few minutes and disappear.

91原创 RCMP head Supt. Adrian Marsden told the council that linking a particular catalytic converter back to a damaged car is difficult, because they don鈥檛 have identifying numbers on them.

The thieves get a relatively small amount of money for the converters, while the car鈥檚 owner and insurer are stuck with hefty repair bills after such a theft.

READ ALSO: Former Alder Inn site could become non-market housing