INVESTIGATION | Police data shows auto thefts in Toronto are up nearly 45 per cent in 2022 compared with last year.
A screenshot of surveillance footage from Patricia Li's driveway. In late July, the camera captured three people trying to steal her vehicle in the early hours of the morning — five months after thieves stole her other vehicle.
"It's really scary because they were so close," Li told CBC News. "Who knows what could have happened ... if I had woken in the middle of the night and saw them and then I approached them?" Li is one of thousands of Torontonians who have been impacted by a dramatic increase in auto thefts this year. As of Sept. 26, there have been 6,497 thefts reported to Toronto police. When compared with all of 2021, which saw 4,498 reports, that's nearly a 45 per cent increase with three months of the year remaining.
"I don't think anything has changed with respect to the demand for the vehicles. I think what has changed is the supply," he said. Toronto police Det. Sgt. Peter Wehby is responsible for the force's newly formed Organized Crime Investigative Support Team, which investigates auto thefts in the city. It tackles complex investigations by liaising with different police divisions and with teams in other regions, cities and even countries.
"We were pretty surprised. I mean, you usually think of cars being stolen as luxury cars — Mercedes and Lexus and these types of cars. And you don't think that a Honda CR-V is a desirable car to steal," Sarah told CBC News. But she said she learned more when she contacted police. "Organized crime groups — professional criminals — are targeting certain vehicles because of the demand for them. So you'll see a variety of makes and models, manufacturers that are being targeted," said Bryan Gast, vice-president of investigative services at Équité Association, which investigates and analyzes insurance fraud and crime.
"We do the neighbourhood watch program ... to try and communicate prevention techniques, but there's just only so much people can do — and that's really the problem," said Pam Main, of the Upper Avenue Community Association in Toronto's North York neighbourhood. Main said they hope the new team, which is also responsible for other crimes such as kidnappings and abductions, will prioritize auto theft."Hopefully with this new team, we will see some results," she said.