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STOLEN LIVES MEDIA ADVISORY
Stolen Lives project goes to schoolLena Sin, The ProvincePublished: Thursday, September 13, 2007The stories of real car thieves, their victims and bait-car footage of police chases and crashes will be coming to a high school near you. Stolen Lives, the auto-crime documentary created by the RCMP and inspired by The Province's 2005 series, is being distributed to every high school in B.C. Teachers with students in grades 9 to 12 will be able to use the half-hour documentary -- which has been controversial for its profanity and graphic footage -- to educate students on the real consequences of auto theft. Kelowna RCMP Sgt. Tim Shields at a conference presenting the region's auto-theft strategy. He spearheaded a film that's going to be shown in all B.C. high schools."It's a dream come true," said Kelowna RCMP Sgt. Tim Shields, who spearheaded the film and shot about half the footage. "I can't tell you the number of people who've told me that we'd never get it in front of students across B.C., that government would never endorse it or the Ministry [of Education] would never endorse it . . . I felt a real sense of crossing the finishing line when that announcement was made yesterday." Contrary to what skeptics have said, Education Minister Shirley Bond and Solicitor-General John Les have endorsed the film as a "compelling resource" that will help students make the right decisions. It took three and a half years to make the documentary, which has been showcased at the New York International Independent Film Festival and has another upcoming screening in L.A. on Oct. 1. In 2006, 17,000 vehicles were stolen across B.C., down from 21,000 in 2005, according to the Insurance Corporation of B.C. About $70 million in stolen-vehicle claims were paid out last year by ICBC. Shields was prompted to make the film after learning about the death of a drug-addicted young man who died in a stolen-car crash in Surrey four years ago. Back in 1997, that same man was an 18-year-old car thief that Shields was in pursuit of. When he finally caught up to the car thief, Shields says the 18-year-old confessed that cocaine and heroin addiction was behind his brazen behaviour. "I told him, 'Listen, if you don't get treatment for your drug addiction, you know it's going to kill you,'" said Shields. "Well sure enough, in 2003, he was a passenger in a stolen car that went through a stop sign and hit a semi -- and he was killed." The film takes the same name as The Province's acclaimed series that gave an in-depth look at the dangerous world of auto theft. The series was nominated for a National Newspaper Award and Jack Webster Award. The film was produced by the Vancouver Police Department's Odd Squad with a $100,000 grant from the Autoplan Brokers of BC and the participation of IMPACT and ICBC. See the trailer at www.oddsquad.com.
NEWS RELEASE Ministry of Education AUTO THEFT PREVENTION FILM DELIVERED TO B.C. SCHOOLS KELOWNA - Stolen Lives, a DVD and companion teacher's guide about the "This is a compelling resource that will help students learn to make According to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), about "Auto theft affects everyone, young and old, drivers and pedestrians, Recognizing that the majority of car thieves begin stealing cars in "If showing young people the tragic consequences of auto theft and drug The Autoplan Broker Road Safety Program, a partnership of the Credit "Auto crime really is an epidemic in this province," said Sharon Knotts, The documentary premiered in Vancouver in May. The Ministry of Education
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