Theft proofing the APEX? After near theft....

[Bobby]

Well said Mooseman

 

[actionjack]

I take specific offense to your post. Your analogy is both crass and ill-conceived. you referred to one event that happened in one place in the US whereas it's a known proven fact that multiple multiple events of theft of trucks and snowmobiles have happened in Quebec and specifically in the areas mentioned it's a fact and you are in denial to say otherwise.

 

[nate007]

I am a police officer and I did take offense to some of the comments made, especially the one where the cops are in on it. The reality is that we can't be everywhere all the time. That's just reality, especially in rural areas where we have to deal with domestics, robberies, fatal accidents, home invasions and so on where there is probably just a couple of officers on the road for a wide area. I'm not saying it's not a priority, it's just not as high. If we do have a lead, we will follow it but 99% of the time, there is none. We can't follow a non existent lead. And in these days of budget cuts and lack of personnel, we can only do what we can with what we have. In a perfect world, we would do stings or sit on hot spots but the money and resources are just not there.

All you can do is make it harder for the thief so he'll move on to an easier target. Do you leave your car unlocked with all the Christmas gifts exposed in a mall parking lot? You take your precautions as best you can. A hidden kill switch would work, especially to the fuel pump or ignition, so that they will try to start it but get frustrated and scared of getting caught the longer they have to dick around with it. A cable, chain or bike lock painted fluorescent orange through the track and bumper and/or skid is an immediate visual deterrent. The only way either of these can be defeated would be to have a bunch of guys lift it onto a trailer. Less likely as this would expose them to being seen. Trying to cut a hardened lock would just expose them more to getting caught the longer they have to try and deal with it. You can also lock it onto another sled or solid post or pipe to prevent the lifting scenario.

All you can do is be smart and make it harder for a thief to get your sled. If they REALLY want it, they will get it no matter what.

And to say that Canada/Quebec/a town is bad for sled thefts is like saying the US/Maine/Sandy Hook is bad for mass shootings. This does nothing but create animosity. Both countries have problems with both. Let's direct our energy towards preventing them.

Well said! If they want it bad enough, they'll get it.
I like the idea of the hunting cameras in the trailer, but that reminded me that I've seen a security camera set up that's able to send text, email, etc or alert the authorities. Granted, I don't know if any of them would work on a vehicle, but it's maybe an idea to look for something similar.
I agree with mooseman, in that it might be a better bet to try to be crafty in prevention methods.

It's a crappy deal to go through, but if you want to go to those areas to ride, you'll have to find ways to stay ahead of the crooks.

 

[Bobby]

OK ok so you all have some type of comment for québec, its going to far now!!

All i want to add is that saying that the police are in on this is pretty damn paranoid .

its one thing to say theft is high in québec but to say the law is in on it is freaking insaulting .

 

[Mooseman]

My post was just to say neither of us should be stereotyping anyone. We have the same problems everywhere and I'm sure sleds are being stolen in the US too. And yes, sadly, we've had mass shootings here too. We have a higher concentration of sleds and you have a higher concentration of guns. It's the law of probability that prevails.

 

[nate007]

Lets not try to get too thin skinned here, folks. Nobody is saying anything bad about anything except that there are higher theft rates in certain areas. It happens anywhere and everywhere, and I think the point of this thread isn't to bash any particular geographical area, but to discuss the issue. Try not to take offense to the comments, and rest assured, I would shut this thread down if it got out of hand.

Someone stating that there is a high theft rate in a particular area is simply stating so, which can only serve to help put people on alert for such activites. Hopefully discussing things can help everybody coe up with a reasonable solution or ideas to help curtail it.

My law enforcement friends, as Mooseman said it best. It may not be the desireable situation, but it does take resources from law enforcement to track down thieves and make theft arrests, and the resources aren't always there to prioritize that over other municipal responsibilities as well. This is one of the main reasons why places all over the world post "neighbohood watch" signs, isn't it? Not saying private citizens should run around chasing thieves, but be vigilant in securing your belongings as best as you can, and alerting someone if you see suspicious activities.

I can probably guarantee you that if you were to dig deep enough and ask around, nearly any snowmobile "tourist destination" is subjected to higher theft rates.
After being involved in this discussion, I can say that I will personall be more proactive in doing what I can to protect my sleds. I'll be keeping record of what gear/sleds I take with me, and always try to park in a place that I can watch my vehicle, and be sure to have insurance on evrything. There's honestly probably not much more that I can do besides camp in my trailer, and that isn't happening..

 

[yamahahaapex]

we had a bust here two months ago as the years went by boats, sleds, sea doos, you name it were going missing, even trailers. The police here were no help as there were no leads so what could they really do? As an owner you have to always always always take precautions. Some might laugh about it but its the truth. The owner who had his trailer go missing rented a pilot and a plane for an afternoon to search on both sides of the border approx 50sq km. He found a trailer while in the air amongst old dilapidated shacks with brand new roofs on them. Once they landed and the lead was made the police were happy to help and a search was done. It turned out a lot of machines turned up and the thief is facing jail time. It happens all over as once an opportunity presents itself they will take advantage of it. Hell I took my 3 yr old son skating last night and someone stole my shoes forcing me to walk in the parking lot in socks at -40c last night. Created an opportunity and was taken advantage of.

 

[kidastra]

sled makers should start installing immobilizers like they have in cars.
Bottom line, if the thief wants it bad enough, nothing will stop him/her

 

[Mooseman]

It's actually quite easy to hot wire a sled, especially ours. Connect two wires and short the other two to activate the starter. Easy. With the Ski Doo, all I have to do is pull the plug on the ignition switch and pull start it. I do that when the key is frozen. I think Doo did start adding a security feature built in the tether with a chip or something in it.

 

[kidastra]

It's actually quite easy to hot wire a sled, especially ours. Connect two wires and short the other two to activate the starter. Easy. With the Ski Doo, all I have to do is pull the plug on the ignition switch and pull start it. I do that when the key is frozen. I think Doo did start adding a security feature built in the tether with a chip or something in it.

skidoo did, tether with a chip.
my YAMAHA waverunner has a remote controlled immobilizer. they have the tech, why not use it

 

[snowdave]

no excuses, I am sure that police are not involved but on the other hand they are not to helpful with the problems and from my personal experience they can care less that I had a sled stripped. in the case of a friend they still did not care much at all and were more annoyed than anything. He lost a truck and new 4 place trailer. He did not loose a watch or a cell phone, he lost $50,000 dollars and was left with no ride home and 4 snowmobiles to get there. I guess these type of robberies are minor in there opinion because it happens all the time. Best prevention is to stay out of Quebec. they need us more than we need them and they and they don't seem to care or this kind of activity would have been taken care of a long time ago!!!!

 

[ghost rider]

I have a kill switch/ electrical cut off ..... Plus I don't ride in high theft areas not saying you were but there are some known provinces in canada that are notorious for theft.

Guy was lucky you didn't catch him.

 

[Bobby]

low class comment there snowdave , (we need you)

lol check again budy , we do just fine here !!

Here we go again

 

[sgauthier]

i garauntee you if the insurance companies had to give a finders fee to the police force for locating stolen vechiles they would start looking for them. they would also be able to higher more officers and have a special task force just for these kinds of crimes. we do appreciated all the work the polcie force does because there are a lot more important crimes out there that should be looked after first. but if this reward program would be possible this would leave the other officers to investigate the more important crimes. insurance companies are already making big profits so they should be paying to help recover stolen items that there clients had stolen.


just my 2 cents

 

[Ultrafrozen]

I've been reading a few online news stories about snowmobile theft in Quebec. Most seem to say the same thing: a local government official stating that theft is under control and the police are stepping up patrols while hotel owners are increasing video surveillance and installing fenced secure parking lots. One story was bold enough to say "we are the same as other snowmobile destinations in North America where theft is concerned". If I was a municipal official looking out for tourism in my area, I'd probably say the same.