Alberta RCMP say targeted enforcement and a GPS-monitored “dummy car” program are helping drive property crime to a 10-year low across the province.
Police released video this week showing suspects being arrested after interacting with a bait vehicle, a decoy car equipped with GPS and tracking technology, placed in areas known for high auto theft.
The arrests are part of the RCMP’s broader Crime Reduction Strategy, which focuses on identifying and targeting the province’s most harmful offenders.
Using a matrix developed by the Alberta RCMP Strategic Analysis and Research Unit, police rank offenders based on the harm they cause in communities. The ranking system applies Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index to individuals rather than municipalities.
Over the course of 2025, Alberta RCMP arrested someone ranked in the top 500 priority offenders 2,073 times. Those arrests involved 467 individual offenders.
Police say those offenders accounted for eight per cent of all harm committed in Alberta RCMP jurisdiction, the equivalent of all crime in a city of 30,000 people over a year.
Targeting top offenders
The Community Response Team, a specialized unit within the strategy, focused heavily on illicit drug enforcement in 2025.
Police seized approximately $897,000 worth of drugs and 37 firearms. Officers laid 123 new firearm charges and executed 152 arrest warrants. The unit targeted 88 of the top 100 offenders in the province last year.
“The Alberta RCMP’s Crime Reduction Strategy tackles a very complex issue with a simple solution,” said Supt. Michael McCauley, officer in charge of the Crime Reduction Strategy for Alberta RCMP.
“By targeting the offenders that are causing the most harm to Albertans, while also focusing on the locations that are the most vulnerable.”
Bait vehicles cut auto theft
The bait vehicle program was deployed 29 times in 2025, leading to 22 arrests for criminal charges and several traffic safety offences. Nineteen of those arrested were priority offenders, according to RCMP.
On average, detachments using bait vehicles saw a 33 per cent reduction in motor vehicle theft following successful deployments. There is no word if the bait program was operated in Lloydminster.
The program is supported by Canadian property and casualty insurers, Équité Association and the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
“Auto theft remains a national issue that has become a significant funding source for organized crime groups,” said Sid Kingma, director of Western Canada for Équité Association.
“On behalf of our members, Équité continues to collaborate with law enforcement on this critical public safety issue to protect communities.”
Across Alberta RCMP jurisdiction, selected property crime, including auto theft, break and enters, theft over and under $5,000, and possession of stolen property, dropped 13 per cent compared to 2024 and 32 per cent compared to 2016. Police say early 2026 numbers show a further decrease.
RCMP say the strategy will continue focusing on high-harm offenders and high-risk locations as part of ongoing efforts to reduce crime in Alberta communities.
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