FEW DEGREES OF SEPARATION BETWEEN AUTO THEFT AND DRUG TRADE

Mine is an Apple PowerBook laptop computer, company issue, a sleek
and elegant writing machine in metallic silver.

In the wrong hands -- smash-and-grab hands -- such a thing is worth a
few days of cocaine rapture or crystal-meth oblivion.

Last Friday, I left my laptop on the front seat of my car, in its
case, on an inner-city street. This week, I learned just how lucky I
was. Edmonton Police Chief Mike Boyd invited people from government,
business and the media to participate in a day-long community crime
congress on an issue, theft from autos, that at first blush seems
beneath contemplation.

Aren't car break-ins the least of our worries, given our big-city
armed robberies, crime gangs, meth labs and murders? Yes, thefts from
autos are minor.

But petty crime, we learned, is at the foundation of the criminal
food chain and separated only by degrees from the international drug trade.

Boyd's community-policing congress focused on downtown, where thefts
from autos jumped 89 per cent in the last five years. Downtown, by
its nature, has the highest density of parkades and parking lots,
many of them poorly designed and lacking in security. On top of that,
downtown is within walking distance of most inner-city drug houses
and remains the 'hood for many of this city's homeless, desperate and
addicted souls.

So who breaks into cars? The typical offender is 12 to 20 years old,
of no fixed address and addicted to meth or crack. Typically, they
steal valuables from cars and fence the hot goods. But not to pawn
shops, as you might think.

A video shown at the congress featured a drug-house dealer who said
90 per cent of his clients pay in stolen property. Much of it comes
from cars, which are easy targets.

While locking your car is no guarantee, thieves will check a parking
lot first for unlocked doors. They'll also pop trunks. But the
chances of a break-in increase if your valuables -- including ID
cards -- are visible from the outside of the car. Then, a simple
screwdriver is all they need to get in. Delegates were asked to
brainstorm ideas to reduce thefts from autos by 25 per cent this
year. The ideas? Mostly common sense. But common sense is not as
common as you'd hope.

One of the major recommendations was a public education campaign to
help reduce the supply of stolen goods. The public, we felt, didn't
understand the nature and scope of the problem. How many of us, for
example, knew that car break-ins were a byproduct of more serious
problems, the proliferation of street drugs?

We felt the public needed a reminder that simple measures -- locking
doors and removing valuables -- was a strong crime-prevention
measure. But apathy is a problem. Perhaps because we bloody well
expect insurance companies to pay for our losses.

Some delegates even felt the victims of car break-ins should be
penalized, as an incentive to secure valuables. But the majority
thought a comprehensive campaign of public education -- even free
security audits of cars by police -- was more valuable.

Another major theme was in "target hardening" parking lots with
better security, lighting and visibility, to deter offenders.
Incentives could be given, or minimum standards legislated.

Much of the discussion focused on the police and courts. One problem
for police is that the courts are loath to incarcerate offenders,
especially minors, for property offences. A break-in artist can be
arrested and released on the same day, even a repeat offender.

It's also difficult for the courts to order offenders into drug
rehabilitation programs. And even if there were a simpler way,
there'd be little point. Edmonton is sadly lacking in treatment beds.

One police analyst conceded that even if Edmonton reduced car
break-ins by 25 per cent, the offender-addicts would just shift to
shoplifting or some other form of thievery. The crime problem would
simply be displaced because the demand for drugs remains the same.

Not that I believe the day was fruitless. I commend Chief Boyd for
tapping the community's creativity. We all walked out knowing more
about the police's problems -- more, perhaps, than we wanted to know.

At the congress, we were given cards to write down our crime-fighting
ideas. I was tempted to write: Eliminate poverty and despair. Until
then, lock your doors and take your valuables with you. The despair
might continue. But at least your property will be safe.