ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Truck owners in four Vancouver-area communities are being warned about thieves targeting vehicles for their pricey tailgates.
Const. Ian MacDonald of the Abbotsford Police Department says over 80 tailgates have been stolen in the city since early 2016 as well as in Mission, Chilliwack and Langley.
Charges have been laid against one man in connection to three thefts, and MacDonald says Abbotsford police are working with other jurisdictions to find more suspects.
The bulky pieces of metal may seem difficult to steal, but MacDonald says the act of lowering a tailgate is unlikely to draw much suspicion from onlookers.
He says once the gate is lowered, it's relatively easy for someone to cut cables and lift the piece from a vehicle.
MacDonald says thieves could sell the parts for up to $6,000 but replacing a tailgate can cost up to $10,000.
"The ease and lucrative nature of it is really quite astonishing," he says. "If every tailgate represents a $1,000 to $3,000 haul, it makes it a little bit more worthwhile to lug that very conspicuous item out of there."
Police say thieves seem to be targeting various truck models made between 2008 and 2016.
Tailgates have gone missing in a variety of places, MacDonald says, including residential neighbourhoods and commercial areas where people have parked overnight.
Truck owners are being urged to make sure their tailgates are locked to help prevent theft.
