A Langley man was arrested by police early Friday after he stole a bait car in Maple Ridge.
Ridge Meadows RCMP were alerted to the theft just before 3 a.m. and spotted the car being driven shortly after.
The bait car was disabled but the man behind the wheel attempted to flee.
Police said he was caught a short distance away with the help of a police dog.
"This fully illustrates one of the reasons incidents of vehicle theft has declined. Since the bait car program began, we have seen a steady decrease of cars being stolen," said Supt. Dave Walsh.
"It is very true, Bait Cars are everywhere. Steal one, go to jail."
The B.C. government says car thefts have plunged 74 per cent in the decade since the Bait Car program was introduced.
The 47-year-old man is being in police custody on allegations of stealing a vehicle, driving while prohibited and breaching a bail order.
A bait car is a vehicle owned by the police and is intended to be stolen. After a bait car is stolen, the location, speed, and direction of travel of the vehicle is monitored by police dispatchers at E-Comm through GPS tracking. Everything that takes place inside the bait car is caught on audio and video. The dispatcher will coordinate a police response and once officers are in position behind the bait car, the engine will be disabled at the click of a mouse button which allows for the quick arrest of the car thieves.