WINNIPEG - A teen subculture fuelled by the thrill of stealing cars for joy rides has helped drive Manitoba to the No. 1 spot in the country yet again for vehicle thefts, according to Statistics Canada.

It's the 11th year in a row the province has earned the dubious distinction of the "car theft capital of Canada."

Experts say that won't last long because of an aggressive program targeting teen car thieves, but Manitoba has a long way to go.

While the overall national rate of vehicle thefts dropped nine per cent in 2007, Manitoba's rate was double that of the next highest province - Alberta.

"In contrast to Canada as a whole, Manitoba's rate of police-reported motor vehicle theft gradually climbed until 2004," notes the Statistics Canada report released Monday.

"Since then, vehicle theft rates in Manitoba have declined in two of the past three years, including a 10 per cent drop in 2007. However, the province's 2007 rate remained the highest in the country for the 11th straight year and was 24 per cent higher than a decade ago."

Vehicle thefts remained one of the most frequently reported crimes in the nation, according to the report. Western provinces, including Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, had among the highest rates in the country, while the Maritime provinces had the lowest.

Cities in Western Canada also led in vehicle thefts. Winnipeg was followed by Abbotsford, B.C., Edmonton and Regina. Statistics Canada found Manitoba's rate was driven by its capital city, which is home to two-thirds of the province's population, but accounts for almost 90 per cent of its stolen vehicles.

While one-third of car thieves across Canada were between 15 and 18 years of age, Statistics Canada found that half the car thieves caught in Winnipeg were teens.

"We've been No.1 for a long time because auto theft has become a part of the youth culture in some parts of Winnipeg," said Rick Linden, professor of sociology at the University of Manitoba.

"It's just part of who the kids are. Their identities are wrapped up in stealing cars. They demonstrate their sense of adventure. They get excitement out of stealing cars. They get a lot of peer approval out of stealing cars."

In one case, a teenager cut off an electronic monitoring bracelet so he could continue stealing cars while on probation. In another case, several teens stole a car to drive to a rehabilitation program.

And in an unusual move last week, a judge ordered a chronic teen car thief to be sent outside the province for rehabilitation to get him away from the influence of his peers.

The cars are generally used for joy-riding or to deliver drugs, and then abandoned, Linden said.

"Very few of the vehicles are being sold," said Linden, who noted the most popular target were 15-year-old Dodge Caravans.

But now high-risk cars such as the Caravan have been put on a provincial list requiring drivers to install immobilizers. It's part of an aggressive strategy aimed at relinquishing Manitoba's car-theft crown.

Attorney General Dave Chomiak said it's starting to work well but the statistics just haven't reflected that yet. Car thefts have been cut in half this year and most of the cars in Winnipeg will have immobilizers by next year, he said.

Teens who are now caught stealing cars are given electronic monitoring devices and are checked on every three hours, 24 hours a day. Where police used to get up to 30 vehicles stolen every day, Chomiak said they are now down to single digits.

"It's no longer going to be the scourge that it was in the past," he said. "The lifestyle and the subculture is virtually broken now. We won't have stats like this again."