OROMOCTO, N.B. — As soon as Clayton MacNally turned the key in the Oromocto Area Food Bank’s delivery van last Thursday morning, he knew something was wrong.
"It just sounded louder," says the warehouse manager. "My immediate thought was somebody tried to get our catalytic converter."
MacNally’s hunch, based on a string of incidents around the area, was confirmed when he got under the vehicle and saw that an attempt had been made to cut the catalytic converter lose.
"Something must’ve spooked them, I’m not sure, but they didn’t make off with it," he says. "Luckily they cut upwards so it allowed us to get it welded. If they had cut downwards it wouldn't have been something they could weld."
The van is key to the food bank being able to deliver food to clients and other facilities in the region.
"We would be in a real jam without this truck," says MacNally.
The Greener Village Foodbank in Fredericton wasn’t as lucky after the catalytic converter from its cargo van was stolen last month.
The theft left the food bank with a bill of nearly $5,000.
The part, which is an essential component of a vehicle’s exhaust system, has become a target of thieves because the metals have a certain scrap value.
In late July, the Fredericton Police said it had received more than 55 calls of stolen converters so far this year.
Dozens of other cases are being investigated across the region.
Last week, 12 vans operated by the Anglophone East School District in Moncton were broken into and three vehicles had its catalytic converters stolen.
Another seven were damaged in what appeared to be an attempted theft. Stephanie Patterson, spokesperson for the school district, says all will have to be replaced.
Back in Oromocto, the food bank’s delivery van is now parked in front motion-activated cameras linked to staff members’ cell phones in real-time. Even with the extra measures, MacNally says there’s still some worry an incident could happen again.
"It’s just an added stress that we didn’t need."
