With the National Summit on Auto Theft underway in Ottawa today, we call on the federal and provincial governments to consider commercial vehicle enforcement officers in their search for a solution to this scourge.
Quebec’s commercial vehicle enforcement officers have long been monitoring the province’s roads and the vehicles that traverse them. These peace officers have exceptional powers akin to those of border officers and extending beyond those granted to the police. They may search vehicles, including containers, without a warrant in order to verify their contents. Thanks to these powers, they often seize illegal goods like drugs, contraband, and stolen vehicles.
As we all know, the province of Quebec, and especially the city of Montreal, are hubs for car theft rings, which rely on easy access to the St. Lawrence to ship vehicles overseas. However, to reach the ports, these rings are forced to use the quickest and most accessible roads and highways. By enhancing the resources available to commercial vehicle enforcement officers and targeting these roads, we could intervene upstream, before stolen vehicles leave the country.
Commercial vehicle enforcement officers patrol roads all across the province. Over the years, they have built solid connections with municipal, provincial and federal police forces. They can leverage their expertise to help thwart car theft and share intelligence with other peace officers, thus supplementing the work of the police.
That is why we believe commercial vehicle enforcement officers are key to fighting this pervasive issue. We urge the governments to join us in discussing how commercial vehicle enforcement officers can be included in their action plan.