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The surge in catalytic converter thefts could come to a screeching halt under a proposed City Council bill.

Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan says he wants to prohibit scrap metal shops citywide from buying and selling used catalytic converters, a car part whose precious metals have been fetching big bucks for thieves.

Violators would face yet-to-be determined fines and potentially the loss of city-issued licenses to operate under the legislation Brannan will introduce next month.

Catalytic convertors are connected to vehicle mufflers and help convert engine exhaust into less harmful emissions. These devices, which can be clipped off in minutes by savvy thieves, contain rhodium, platinum and other expensive metals that can be flipped for a huge profit.

“Cops can’t be everywhere at all times,” said Brannan (D-Brooklyn). “The only way to put an end to this is by prohibiting the scrap metal dealers from purchasing catalytic converters in the first place. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to know if a guy comes in looking to sell 10 catalytic converters that they’re all stolen.”

As the price of these metals have skyrocketed the past few years, so has thefts of catalytic converters nationwide. In the Big Apple alone, there’s been 5,548 “cat” burglaries this year through Aug. 14 — nearly three time higher than 1,505 during the same period last year, according to NYPD data provided to The Post. Many other parts of the state have also seen the thefts at least double.

The state Legislature earlier this year approved a bill aimed at deterring catalytic converter robberies, but it lacks the teeth of Brannan’s plan and focuses on vehicle dismantlers and scrap processors keeping a better paper trail on sellers of these devices.