Pubdate: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2004 The Province Contact: http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Lena Sin DRUG ADDICTS DRIVING UP SURREY AUTO THEFT The typical Surrey car thief has changed in the last nine years from a young offender on a joyride to a 28-year-old drug addict with an average of 14 prior criminal convictions, a public forum was told last night. More than 300 residents packed Surrey Arts Centre, only metres away from where a stolen truck driver stuck a family Tuesday night, to hear about new research on auto theft and discuss how to stop it. Sarah Zapotichny, a researcher and daughter of New Westminster police chief Lorne Zapotichny, was asked to spend six months researching Surrey's staggeringly high auto-theft rate. "The No. 1 reason why vehicles are stolen in Surrey today is to commit other crimes," said Zapotichny. Those "other crimes" include break and enter, transportation of stolen goods, drug trafficking and weapons possession. Zapotichny found that the typical Surrey auto thief is now a young adult who often carries weapons, almost always is a drug addict, and 70 to 100 per cent of the time is addicted to methamphetamine. Last year, Surrey had 8,042 auto thefts, topping the list of cities in the English-speaking world. The financial costs of auto theft nationwide is $900 million. Eighty-one people were killed between 1999 and 2001 by stolen vehicles throughout Canada. Darlene Foster, 58, a block-watch captain in Cedar Hills, said the forum was overdue. "Between Christmas and New Year's, a stolen car came around the corner and ran right up into my fence and knocked it down," she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom