The City of Richmond, Mounties and the Insurance Corporation of B-C are teaming up to help fight the growing problem of catalytic converter thefts and their illegal sales.
Participating automotive shops in Richmond will now etch the last eight digits of the vehicle identification number on the converters during routine maintenance appointments at no extra cost.
Police say the etching will be a crucial identifier to help police track stolen property and will also deter potential thefts.
I-C-B-C says reported claims involving the converters in the first seven months of last year totalled 8.2 million dollars, and in 2022 there were more than 61 hundreds thefts across the province, up from just 89 in 2017.
