Équité Association Commemorates Record-breaking Achievement with the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal and Canada Border Services Agency

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• Record-breaking year: Over 1,000 stolen vehicles, valued at more than $40 million, recovered from the Port of Montreal in 2021.
• In partnership with Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), this achievement is an exemplary example of the tri-party partnership.

Last week, Équité Association presented the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) each with a plaque to commemorate the record-breaking year between the tri-party partnership. Over 1,000 stolen vehicles, valued at more than $40 million, were recovered from the Port of Montreal in 2021.

Over the last three years, recoveries have increased 200 percent at the Port of Montreal as a direct result of the incredible work of this partnership. Not only have vehicle theft recovery methods and intelligence-based approaches improved, evolved and matured, but through collaborative effort, continued commitment, and the hard work of all involved, the three partners have made considerable strides to stop Canadian-owned vehicles from leaving the country.

"Vehicle theft is a scourge across the country and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) is doing its utmost to combat it by working closely with other police forces, the Canada Border Services Agency and organizations such as Équité Association," explains SPVM Commander Dominic Monchamp. "We are pleased to be recognized by Équité Association and we look forward to continuing this partnership with concrete results," he added.

Partnership starts with finding commonality of purpose, and for Équité Association, the SPVM, and CBSA, that common purpose is to combat vehicle theft at the Port of Montreal. The partnership is unique and dependent on all parties’ participation, expertise and jurisdiction. What’s the secret to their success? True collaboration. Without the CBSA and the SPVM, entry to search containers at the port, and seizure of vehicles found within the containers, would not be possible. Équité Association provides a unique skill set – they are subject experts in vehicle identification of stolen and rebuilt vehicles.

“Harnessing the strengths and abilities of our partners is one of the most effective ways we can solve this complex issue,” says Jacques Lamontagne, Director, Quebec Region, Équité Association. “Vehicle theft is not a victimless crime. Working together, we can tackle insurance fraud and disrupt organized crime and the funding of terrorism before stolen vehicles leave Canada.”

Prior to the recoveries in 2021, SPVM counted 6,572 vehicle thefts in the city, an increase of 37 percent compared to the previous year.  With vehicle thefts rising in Montreal, and across Canada, strong partnerships like this are key to defending against insurance crime at the ports and guaranteeing the recovery of property belonging to hard-working Canadians.