South end Barrie businesses report overnight thefts

Two south end Barrie businesses reported thefts to Barrie Police today that are believed to have occurred sometime late yesterday. The businesses were located on Commerce Park Drive and on King Street, and in both cases, catalytic converters were removed from company vehicles that were parked by the businesses in outdoor unprotected parking lots.

The Barrie Police Service investigation into theses thefts is ongoing.

Police are strongly encouraging business owners who have work related vehicles parked outside to move them, if possible, indoors or to park them in fenced in spaces with surveillance cameras. Other options include utilizing aftermarket catalytic converter enclosures or spraying heat resistant paint onto the catalytic converters to make them less attractive to thieves.

These emission control related devices are sought after for the precious metals that they contain, but the inconvenience to the victim, far outweighs the replacement costs. In one case, a business owner who has been a victim of these type of thefts before has indicated that it may force him out of business.  

Police are reminding the public that any suspicious vehicles that may be seen in areas where they shouldn’t be, should be reported to police immediately. Together, we can work to combat this type of specialized theft and hopefully, by securing property and storing it elsewhere, put these opportunistic criminals out of business.