Manitoba carving away at catalytic converter thefts with new ID program

Vehicle owners in Manitoba are being invited to get their vehicle identification numbers engraved onto theircatalytic converters, as the province takes another shot at cutting thefts of the devices.

A new program announced Monday,called Save YourCat, will involve etchingthe ID number onto the part, which will also be markedwith high-visibility paint.

An engraved converterwill not be accepted at a scrap dealer, creating a deterrent to those inclined to steal and sell them, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release.

Catalytic converters control exhaust emissions to reduce pollutants, but they have been a target for thieves because of an increase in the price of the metals they contain.Converters contain small amounts of platinum, palladium and rhodium.

Catalytic converters are underneath vehicles and can be quickly cut away by thieves. They are then sold and exported out of the country, after which the precious metals are extracted.

The Save YourCat program follows up on rules slapped ontoscrap metal recyclers in Manitoba in July 2022. The rules require recyclers who buy old convertersto record the details of every transaction, to keep the records for two years and to provide them to law enforcement when asked.

That had a quick effect, with an80 per centdrop in the first six months of 2023 compared to 2022 in Winnipeg and a 70 per centdrop provincewide, according to police.

The new program is a bit of a copy of one launched in April by theRCMP in Surrey, B.C.There, the seller must show proof that they are the registered owner of the vehicle from which thecatalytic converter was removed.

In Winnipeg, about 70auto shops are offeringthe engraving service at no cost to owners when the vehicle is brought in for other service work, according to police. The program's websitelists several locations in other parts of Manitoba as of Monday.

Meanwhile, Crime Stoppers has doubled the cash reward in July and August up to $2,000 for information on anyone committing converterthefts or purchasing stolen catalytic converters.