The park n' ride lots in the city have become a trap for auto thieves as the city police has laid bait cars there. Such cars will now be a regular feature in order to control the crooks, said Staff Sgt. Colin Adair.

Adair said, "The whole intention of the program is fear. If you steal a bait car, we will catch you".

This has almost halved the number of vehicle thefts since 2007, when 6,484 vehicles were stolen.

The police do not want to reveal exactly the number of cars this strategy has busted, after it was introduced in the year 2008. They share that withholding these figures will make the criminals uncertain.

Prominent signage on buses and in the car park lots has warnings like, "Attention Thieves -- Bait Cars are Everywhere", thus forbidding the thieves. As soon as a bait car is stolen, sensors alert police communications eavesdroppers and a police car is send off to chase the thief. GPS also helps in tracking the burglar.

Adair said, "It raises awareness of vehicle owners to secure their vehicle and it raises the awareness of potential thieves".