Humorous police campaign credited for cutting Vancouver car theft

VANCOUVER, B.C. — Car prowls have taken a big drop in Vancouver, and police are crediting a humorous but pointed television advertising campaign.

The spot starts with a man throwing a brick through the driver's side window to steal a woman's purse. Then another crook smashes the passenger window and steals the brick.

Deputy Police Chief Robert Andrew "Bob" Rich says the ad helped cut car break-ins by 43 percent last month from January 2007.

Even so, Vancouver's property crime rate would have to drop another 30 percent to reach the average for cities in Canada. British Columbia is the worst province in Canada for property crime, even with one of the lowest crime reporting rates in Canada.