Calgary Police Service Sgt Nick Wilsher speaks to media in Calgary on Wednesday, October 27, 2021. Jim Wells/Postmedia

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Auto thefts across Canada are on the decline, and Alberta leads the nation with the steepest decrease, according to data from the Équité Association First Half of 2026 Auto Theft Trend Report released on Tuesday.

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Data from the non-profit shows that auto thefts across Canada dropped 10.1 per cent, said association director of intelligence and investigative operations Sid Kingma on Wednesday.

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Alberta saw the steepest decline across the nation with a 15.1 per cent decrease.

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Comparatively, Ontario saw a decline of 8.4 per cent and Quebec saw a decline of 6.4 per cent.

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“If we look at just strictly the numbers, Alberta is still leading the way as far as per capita auto theft rates, so we have the highest per capita auto theft rates in the country,” Kingma said. “That’s not something you want to be in first place at, but, we’re first in, in decreasing things, so it’s getting better for sure.”

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20,759 vehicles were stolen in the first half of 2026 across Canada.

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Numbers continue to trend positively following pre-crisis levels for the first half of 2021 at 20,313, the report said.

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The province has been making great strides in auto theft prevention through their work with law enforcement, Kingma said.

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Outside of security measures in newer vehicles, awareness plays a major role in preventing these crimes and creating an organized response to address these issues.

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“I think there’s a lot happening in Alberta on the prevention side and we’re seeing the impact of that and it’s not just one industry, law enforcement or insurance industry, it’s everyone combined, working towards the same goal that’s had this cumulative effect,” Kingma said.

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Organized crime groups often employ auto theft to fund their criminal activities.

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When a vehicle is stolen, they are sent to ports within Canada and later shipped off to other parts of the world, Kingma said.

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“They end up in the Middle East, West Africa, Eastern Europe, and all kinds of different places,” he said. “The only way that can happen is through organized crime groups, right, that have those connections and they’re to steal the vehicle, transport it to a port within Canada, and then out of the country and then into another country where they have someone in their group that’s able to receive that and and sell the vehicle there.”

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Sid Kingma, Director of Intelligence and Investigative Services, Equite Association, talks about the Auto Theft Unit’s bait vehicle initiatives in Alberta on Tuesday, March 3, 2026 in Edmonton. Greg Southam/Postmedia

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It’s encouraging to see this downward trend, as this is a result of drivers continuing to change their habits, law enforcement pressure, and sustained public education, said AMA program manager of safe communities Hannah Hamilton.

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Through the Lock it or Lose It flagship vehicle campaign, it has honed in on the importance for drivers to remove their keys, hide valuables, and lock doors through seasonal pushes, she said.

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The Toyota RAV4, Dodge Ram 1500 series, Honda CR-V and Ford F150 series are part of the top 10 most stolen vehicles.